


Trauma Team

by ABSedarian



Series: Trauma Team [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Warehouse 13
Genre: AU Crossover, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Doctors, Doctors & Physicians, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Romance, Violence, Warnings for the description of trauma cases, also the odd Mass Effect character, also: Hook is a creepy stalker and is acting accordingly, minor mentions of Grey's Anatomy characters, there will be blood - Freeform, where they're all trauma surgeons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:44:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 98,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1726595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABSedarian/pseuds/ABSedarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 1:<br/>Meet the rock stars of medicine: the alpha team at Miami Trauma. Led by the youngest trauma chief in the country, Doctor Regina Mills, trauma surgeons Helena Wells, Myka Bering, and new addition Emma Swan (not to forget charge nurse Pete Lattimer) fight for people's lives every day while trying not to let their personal lives interfere with their job. Which is harder than you'd think sometimes ...</p>
<p>This story is set up like a TV show. Season 1 consists of six episodes (each ep has 1-5 parts).</p>
<p>Named Best Crossover fic at the SQ Fan Awards 2015 - thank you!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode 1, Part 1 – First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> **Pairings:** Swan Queen, Bering  & Wells (established), AU  
>  **Rating:** M, to be safe (T for sure, for language reasons alone — can’t help it, I’m a potty mouth and so are some of the characters).  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don’t own anything, except for my mistakes. If you find any of those, you’re welcome to let me know about them. I don’t own _OUaT_ or _Warehouse 13_ (unfortunately), and I also don’t own _Miami Medical_ , which gave me the setting and the idea. All my knowledge of medicine comes from reading trauma procedures handbooks, skimming through my old copy of _Gray’s Anatomy_ , and from watching medical shows on TV, so things will probably not always make sense.  
>  **Summary:** Based on a manip I made for Warehouse 13 AU Week in December 2012 called _Trauma Team_ — the four ladies make up a team of doctors at a Trauma Center in Miami. Pete is the team's charge nurse. Other characters from both shows (and others) might show up.  
>  **Author's note:** This is a two-shot for now, but it could also be a first in a series of "episodes" (which is why the chapters are tentatively called Episodes). Consider this two-shot the two-parter pilot, if you will, and if the mood strikes me, I might continue it. This story is also completely AU, which might also extend to the protagonists behaving in a somewhat OOC way sometimes. My story, my rules. :)

[Swan Queen Fan Awards 2015](http://sqfanawards.tumblr.com/) - thank you :)

** **

 

**Episode 1, Part 1 – First Impressions**

“Fuck.”

Emma Swan checked her watch again as she closed her apartment door behind her. “I can’t believe I’m gonna be late on my first day,” she muttered. “That's gonna make a great impression, Swan.”

Not that her first impulsive act in who knew how long hadn’t been worth it, she thought with a smile. The sex had been _phe-no-me-nal_ , especially for a slightly drunk one-night stand, and the woman ... had been too beautiful for words. _I should have gotten her number, damn it ... or at least her name._ Unfortunately, that had been the last thing on her mind as she was sneaking out of the beautiful stranger’s apartment in the early hours of the morning to find her way home through the still very unfamiliar city, take a shower and get dressed, just to drive to work for her first shift at Miami Trauma.

For which she was now late. _Forget about HR and signing the paperwork, just make sure you get there in time for your shift._ She checked her watch again.

“Fuck.”

—*—*—

“Hey, Pete,” Myka Bering called out over the din of the trauma center.

“Dr. Bering, what can I do for you?” The tall nurse looked up from the stack of charts he had been studying. “How was your vacation?”

“Short,” Myka replied, smiling widely. “Short, but sweet.”

“Well, be glad that the chief let you go off at all,” Pete said with a grin. “I haven’t been on a vacation in two years.”

“That’s because she’s still not over the chaos that ensued when you were off for that three-day admin training. Face it, you’ve made yourself indispensable. You should be grateful she doesn’t just sell your apartment and chains you to a wall in here.”

“Yeah, yeah. You ladies just need that little bit of testosterone I bring to the team. You need a man around here ... but _nooo_ , our new transfer has to be a woman, too. Let’s hope it’s one that is open to what my half of the species has to offer ...” Pete chuckled. “So, what was it you wanted?”

“Have you seen my wife? Wait, we have a new transfer?”

“You didn’t come in together? And yes.”

Myka shook her head. “We split up in the parking lot. She had to go up to HR for some last-minute paperwork.”

Pete shuddered. “She hasn’t come through here yet, so she’s probably still stuck in admin. But listen, I’m really glad she’s finally back where she belongs.”

“So am I, Pete,” Myka said with a smile. “So, what do you know about the new one ... and why are we getting someone new anyway? Who transferred out? Can't leave the hospital for a week ...”

“Don’t know much,” Pete replied with a shrug. “It was all pretty sudden. All I know is that Dr. Hunter from Beta wanted to get out of Miami and found someone somewhere desperate enough to switch at a moment’s notice. And then Holy Mary decided to take his spot on Beta to have more time with her boy toy, which is how _we_ ended up with the new one.”

“And all of that without breathing ... I’m impressed. Is the new doc here yet? I’m curious.” Myka looked around with a huge grin.

Pete shrugged. “No idea. Nobody’s even seen her yet, not even the chief. She could be standing behind you and we wouldn’t know her. The transfer went through without HR letting the chief approve of the new doc and believe me, she’s not too happy about it.”

“Ouch! On the other hand, she’s probably not too unhappy to see Mary go,” Myka mused.

“You got that right, girl.”

—*—*—

_Two naked bodies moved together on a rumpled bed. The woman beneath her pushing up against her, straining for maximum contact between their bodies, her face made even more beautiful by the arousal clearly visible on it. Her own hand touched muscular shoulders, slid over breasts, teased a hip and came to rest on the inside of a thigh. They kissed, passionately, hungrily, moving together with burning intensity. Hands were roaming her body freely, fleetingly, never stopping long enough in one place to satisfy her needs, but increasing her arousal immensely. A hand slipped between her thighs, fingers swirling in her wetness without putting pressure where she really wanted it. Then finally …_

"I knew I'd find you up here."

The words, spoken from behind her, ripped Regina Mills from her daydream. She whirled around, taking a deep breath to shake off the lingering arousal, and engulfed the speaker in a warm embrace. "Helena!"

"Hello, boss," Helena Wells replied with a smile. "God, it's going to be fun saying that." She grinned.

"Please don't," Regina chided her with a slight slap to her arm. "I'm so glad I finally have you back on my team. I did miss bossing you around."

Helena nodded. "Your new trauma fellow, reporting for work, ma'am," she said with a mock salute.

"I _really_ missed you," Regina said quietly. "And it's going to be good not to see Myka so damn sad all the time. Did you two have a nice week?"

"Like I told you last night, you're not getting any details," Helena said, wagging her finger. "But thank you again for making it possible. The cabin was perfect for us."

Regina just smiled.

"Speaking of last night," Helena continued, "how did things go with the lady from the bar?" She raised an eyebrow. "You looked like you were having a good time over your appletinis or whatever weird concoction you were having."

Regina turned to look out over the water again. “I was just thinking about her,” she said after a moment.

"Oh?" Something in Regina’s voice pulled Helena closer to her. “What happened?” she asked seriously.

Regina gave her friend a lopsided smile. “I’m not even sure, believe it or not,” she said quietly. “I took her back to my place ...”

Helena studied Regina’s face. Her friend _never_ took people home with her. There was something going on behind those eyes that she hadn’t seen in a very long time, but right now, five minutes before their shift started, was probably not the right time to delve into that. She decided to be flippant instead. “So ... good, bad, don't want to talk about it ever again?”

Regina’s eyes lit up as they met Helena’s. “Good doesn’t even begin to describe it,” she admitted to Helena’s surprise. “You remember how alcohol-fueled one-night stands usually go, right? A little awkward, a lot of fumbling, and if you’re _really_ lucky it all _somehow_ works out okay?”

“But not last night?” Helena guessed.

Regina shook her head. “Last night ... was great. Amazing, actually. It was as if we had this ...” Regina wrapped her arms around herself. “She knew just how to touch me ... and from her reaction I thought I had returned the favor well enough. Do you have any idea how _rare_ that is?”

Helena nodded. “I can feel a but coming ...”

“She was gone when I woke up this morning.” Regina’s voice held a hint of sadness. “I went to sleep hoping I’d get to at least enjoy a nice breakfast ... but apparently, she didn’t share that feeling.” She didn’t have to add _or my feelings about the night_.

Helena slung an arm across her friend’s shoulders. “Maybe she’s just not a morning person or she was just feeling a little awkward after all that _amazing_ sex,” she suggested. “If you really felt a connection, call her and ask her out.”

Regina looked at H.G. “Maybe I would ... but she didn’t leave her number when she sneaked out before I woke up, and we never even exchanged names,” she replied, a little ashamed to admit that. She started pulling them towards the roof access door. “Let’s get this day started, shall we? With our luck, we’ll get some major trauma coming in just because it’s your first day back … and on top of it all we have a new transfer.”

Helena watched her old friend’s profile as they were walking across the roof. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that Regina had lost her heart to this stranger the night before, but those things didn’t really happen, did they? People did not fall in love with strangers in the span of a few hours. Then she thought about Myka and couldn’t deny that _yes_ , those things could indeed happen, if you let them.

Just not to Regina Mills, their self-reliant, independent, workaholic trauma chief. The woman who had sworn off love years ago.

Helena shook her head as she entered the elevator after her friend. She suddenly wished she had paid closer attention to the woman from the bar.

—*—*—

Myka was waiting for them when they made it to the break room, which was relatively large and also housed their lockers, a kitchenette, a table with a computer and a small bookshelf with research material.

Regina watched with a smile as Helena and Myka immediately drifted towards each other, both with small grins on their faces. She was happy for them, and so engrossed in watching them that she almost missed what they were talking about.

“Do you remember the woman from the bar last night, darling?” Helena was just asking Myka.

“Huh, what woman?” Pete asked as he came into the room, a stack of charts in his arms. “Don't tell me I missed something good last night?”

“Ignore them, Pete,” Regina said. “Please.” She shot Helena a warning look, and Pete busied himself with the charts.

Myka pulled H.G. into the far corner of the room, so Pete couldn’t hear them quite so easily. Judging by Regina’s stormy face, she would be less than pleased if he did. Regina followed Myka and H.G. to remind them that they were at work.

"What woman?" Myka asked.

"The one that stole Regina's full attention from us."

“What about her?” Myka sounded slightly confused. “She looked nice enough.”

“And according to Regina, she was. _More_ than nice,” Helena continued as if Regina wasn’t standing right there next to her. “They went home together, and I think our friend may have lost her heart last night,” Helena teased with a wink. Myka looked from H.G. to Regina and back in shock. Regina _never_ did things like that.

“Oh, that’s ridiculous, Helena! I did not--”

Regina’s hissed outburst was interrupted by a whirlwind bursting into the room and coming to a skidding halt just inside the door, right next to Pete. “So sorry I’m late,” the blonde newcomer apologized without looking up, panting a little and trying to juggle a small satchel, a stack of dark blue scrubs, and her ID card. “I had a _really_ rough morning and I--” She stopped suddenly and looked up, realizing that she’d made quite an entrance. She froze as her eyes met Regina’s across the room.

“Oh.”

“Uh-oh,” H.G. whispered and Myka just nodded.

_Oh no,_ Regina thought, trying desperately to keep a neutral mask on her face. _This isn't happening._ She stared at the woman, her brain insisting on mixing the actual sight before her with memories of last night’s encounter. This _couldn’t_ be happening. She had not spent the morning thinking about ... She had to snap out of this, and fast. Her mind replayed the blonde’s first words. _Wait what? A rough morning? I’m going to show you a rough morning …_

Dr. Emma Swan only had one thought running through her head. “It's you ... you're here ...” she stammered, unable to tear her eyes from Regina’s shocked face. _Holy shit, I can't believe I have a second chance at this._ Her heart skipped a beat and her face erupted into a hesitant, yet brilliant smile.

Helena and Myka let out the breath they were holding and relaxed.

Regina didn’t.

Instead she tensed and straightened her shoulders. “ _You’re_ the new transfer, I assume?” She managed to make it sound like Emma was a carcass dragged in from Alligator Alley.

Emma’s smile slid from her face. _Seems like her memories of last night aren’t nearly as good as mine,_ she thought with an internal sigh. _Well, that just sucks._ She put on a professional half-smile and promised herself she would talk to the other woman later, to explain herself. _Time to be an adult now._ “Yes, I am,” she said genially, addressing everyone. “Emma Swan, fourth year resident. Just transferred from Seattle.”

“Welcome,” Regina replied curtly, her professional mask firmly in place now. “I’m Dr. Mills, chief of the Alpha Team trauma unit and these are Helena Wells and Myka Bering. Dr. Wells is our trauma fellow and Dr. Bering is a fifth year resident.”

Emma’s brain only grasped the essential information: _She’s my boss. Fuck, that can't be good._

Helena and Myka both gave her reassuring smiles. “It’s good to have you on board,” Myka said.

“Welcome to Alpha trauma,” Helena added.

“We’ll see,” Regina cut in coolly and then pointed to the only man in the room. “And this is our charge nurse, Pete Lattimer. Without him we’d all be lost, so please don’t treat him like he’s just another nurse.”

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes, barely, and turned to Pete. “I’m looking forward to working with you.” She freed her hand from under her load and smiled as he shook her hand awkwardly while balancing his charts.

“It will be my pleasure. Whatever you need, come find me.” His first instinct was to flirt, although he could sense that there was something going on here that he wasn’t privy to. He leaned closer to Myka. “You will tell me later what the weird tension was all about, right? My spidey sense is tingling like crazy,” he whispered, which earned him a light smack to his arm.

_No way in hell_ , Myka thought. _I like my life, thank you very much._

“Anyway,” Pete continued loudly. “Here are some charts for you to look at in case it gets boring in here today. We had a good month, let’s keep it that way.” He looked at the four women and didn’t need his vibes to tell him that with the atmosphere as charged as it was, _boring_ would be the last thing on anybody’s mind. As were charts, probably.

“No tempting fate, Pete,” Regina said with a groan. All she wanted was to get back on the roof to get over the fact that the woman she had spent one of the best nights of her life with was now working under her and was consequently firmly out of her reach. She put on her professional mask and decided to deal with the situation as best she could. Like a boss.

“Okay, people,” she said, “you heard the man. Grab a chart and --”

She was interrupted by their pagers going off.

"Incoming. Two auto vs. ped in ten.” Pete's voice was clear and precise.

Regina straightened. This was what she lived for and this was what she was good at. She looked at her team. As chief, she should team up with Dr. Swan today to see what she was capable of, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Helena,” she called out, “you and Dr. Swan: Trauma 2, Myka, you're with me in Trauma 1.”

H.G. and Myka both gave her a surprised look, but stayed quiet, for which Regina was grateful. She knew she’d have to answer their questions about this blatantly unprofessional decision later, whether she wanted to or not, but for now she needed to avoid Emma Swan’s presence, which was making her heart thud and her fingers tingle.

_Still ..._ “Any questions?” she addressed the new team member.

Emma met her eyes straight on, trying to inject as much warmth into the gaze as she could to ward off the chill coming from her new boss. “No questions,” she replied confidently. “I’ll just get ready and then I’m sure Dr. Wells will fill me in as we go along today.”

“Call me Helena or H.G.” She pointed Emma to a free locker while Regina pretended to look at a chart Pete had handed her.

Emma changed quickly, glad to be in her hospital uniform. The blue cloth felt like a piece of armor to her, a sign that she now belonged to this little army of helpers. She never even noticed that Regina’s eyes watched her every move.

Helena did, however, and she smiled at Emma once they were out the door and walking towards incoming. “You’ll be okay,” she added quietly. _Maybe._

Emma nodded absently. She knew she should focus on her first trauma case here at one of the best trauma centers in the country, but the only thought running through her head was, _Fucking hell, did she have to be my boss?_

—*—*—

The paramedics were just rushing in with the patient when Helena and Emma made it to incoming.

“Patient is intermittently responsive, BP 90 over 60 and falling. Pulse 57. Compound fracture of the right femur, deep lac left arm, possible skull fracture, possible pelvic injury,” the EMT rattled off to Helena. “Oh, and she said she’s pregnant and she’s been asking about her husband.”

Emma looked up at him. “Was he with her?”

The EMT nodded. “Yeah, he's on the other bus.”

“Okay, thanks.” The EMT nodded, and Emma focused on their patient. “Hi, my name is Dr. Swan, this is Dr. Wells, and we’re going to take good care of you, okay?”

The patient nodded once, then slipped into unconsciousness again. Emma turned to Helena who was checking the woman’s stats. “Ultrasound first." They pushed the gurney into the trauma suite.

Helena handed her the ultrasound wand. "Start with the abdomen."

"I can't see enough," Emma said after only a few minutes. "There's a lot of damage."

“Tell CT we'll be there in two minutes,” Helena told a nurse. “We need to know what’s going on.” She turned to Pete. “We’re going to need an OR as soon as she’s stabilized. Page ortho and vascular and have an OB and neuro on stand-by.”

Pete nodded and ran off.

"CT is too dangerous if she's pregnant," Emma said urgently.

H.G. shook her head. "Not with our new machine. Just got it a couple of months ago,” she explained. "We can adjust the radiation levels to the bare minimum. It's safer than cutting her open blind and digging around."

They pushed the gurney into the CT room, just as the patient came to with a small groan and started moving around. “Calm down," Emma said quietly. "Can you tell me your name?”

“Ka-Kate,” the woman got out with difficulty. She weakly grabbed Emma’s hand. “Pl- please ... my husband ...”

“I think your husband was brought here as well,” Helena said soothingly. “As soon as we know something, we’ll let you know.”

“Any medical conditions we need to know about?” Emma asked as they got ready to transfer the patient to the CT table.

“No ... pregnant,” Kate groaned.

“How far along, Kate?”

“About ... about twelve we-weeks.”

Emma gripped Kate’s hand tighter. “It’s going to be okay, Kate, you listen to me,” she calmed the other woman. “I’m going to leave you for a second now, but I’ll be just over there behind the window with Dr. Wells.”

“Don’t leave me,” Kate implored. “I’m ... scared.”

Emma and Helena shared a look, then Helena nodded. “Get a gown for Dr. Swan,” she told a nurse as she left.

“Thank you,” Kate whispered.

“No problem.”

● ● ●

Regina shook her head with a grimace. “Time of death: 10:02am.” She ripped off her bloody gloves and threw them in the bin.

“There is only so much we can do, Regina,” Myka said quietly, though no less sad at the loss of a patient. “Even you can’t bring back the dead.”

“I know,” Regina sighed. “Let’s check on our other patient.” _And our newest addition to the team._

“Sooo,” Myka leaned in closer as they walked down the hallway, “bit of a shock this morning, huh?”

Regina shot her a warning glance. “Not now, Myka.”

“You looked like you couldn’t decide between running away and ripping her clothes off.” Myka knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t help herself. “ _She_ looked like she just wanted to kiss you.”

“Dr. Bering.” It came out as a growl, a strong reminder that they were at work.

“What?” Myka asked innocently. “Oh, come on, just admit it. If what Helena said was true you would date her in a heartbeat if she worked anywhere but here.” She paused. “And I think that shouldn’t stop you. I mean, nobody has a problem with me and Helena.”

“Admin look the other way, Dr. Bering,” Regina ground out, “because I _told_ them to mind their own business, which they accepted since you're married and neither of you are in a position of real authority over the other.” She didn't mention that she'd threatened to quit if someone had a problem with her two friends. She stopped and turned to face Myka. “The situation is quite different for me ... even if I _wanted_ to date her. Which I certainly don’t.” She paused. “Or if _she_ wanted to date me.”

“Which she totally does!” Myka blurted. “I can tell!”

“Right,” Regina snorted. “That’s why she disappeared without leaving her name or number this morning or why she showed up here claiming she had a _really rough morning_.”

“But--”

“Enough, Myka.” With that, Regina turned and walked into Trauma 2.

—*—*—

The CT confirmed the preliminary diagnoses and also showed a comminuted rib fracture, which had caused a liver laceration.

“First things first,” Helena said when they were back in their assigned trauma suite. “Swan, you need to go in and repair the liver while I close the abdominal lacs and clean out the debris from around the compound fracture and try and stop the bleeding. Okay?”

Emma simply nodded and started to prep the side of the abdomen. “General surgery was my specialty before I decided to move to trauma, you know,” she said conversationally as she made a precise cut under the watchful gaze of Helena.

“Good, I don’t have to be worried then,” Helena replied dryly.

“So, how long have you been here?”

“That’s a long story,” Helena said evasively.

“Oh?”

“I was here for my residency,” Helena explained as she bent over the broken leg and began to clear the site of the break and trying to stop the bleeding. “Then I went back to England for a while ... I had a duty to fulfill ... spent a few months in Afghanistan. It’s my first day back actually.” She looked up and winked, but her voice told Emma not to ask further for now.

“I was surprised the chief decided not to look over my shoulder today,” Emma mentioned as casually as she could. “I expected to be under a microscope for the first month or so ...”

Helena was glad her mask covered her grin. “Well, circumstances being what they are ...”

“Yeah, you were there last night, right ... sorry, I didn't see much except for ...” Emma blushed and cleared her throat. “I have no idea what I did to have this happening to me,” she mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Helena wondered if she had read Emma wrong in the locker room. “Earlier you looked like you wanted to ...” She looked at the nurses around them and trailed off, expressing the rest of her sentence with her eyebrows. Or at least she hoped she was.

Emma met her eyes. “Oh, yeah,” she replied fervently, “but it looks like I'm alone in that.”

Helena knew better, she just wasn’t sure if she should say something about it. Regina was stubborn and wholly out of practice in matters of the heart. “Things are a little more complicated than that,” she finally said, “but I think you should talk to her, not me. ”

The nurses were beginning to look at each other questioningly at the strange conversation going on over the woman on the trauma table. Emma ignored their stares. “You don’t know me yet,” she said after a moment, “but this was completely out of character for me. I don’t do this kind of thing _ever_ because usually it just isn’t worth it.”

Helena remembered Regina’s words from earlier. “And was it worth it this time?”

“So much,” Emma said. “I just wish it had been under different circumstances.” Suddenly the monitor went off. “Pressure’s bottoming out,” she said. “Oh, shit, we just got another bleeder in here somewhere. I need more suction!”

Helena was by her side in an instant. “Looks like a piece of the rib moved through there like a projectile.”

Emma worked diligently for a few moments, feeling for the source of the bleeding and the piece of rib that was causing the damage. She found a hole in one of the blood vessels and the piece of bone. “Clamp, now!” she barked. As soon as she got the clamp in place the blood flow stopped.

“Pressure going up,” Helena said. “Stable. Nice work, Swan.”

“Thanks, but there’s lots more to do here.” She motioned towards the monitor. “ICP is rising, neuro needs to get on that sooner rather than later.”

“Agreed,” said a smooth voice as Regina and Myka approached the table, already gloving up. “So let’s get her stable and to the OR.”

“Almost done fixing the liver lac,” Emma said, “but I gotta fix this tear first.”

Helena filled Regina in on what was going on with the patient.

“Okay,” Regina said, “we’re going to have to ignore the pelvic fracture for now. She’s not going to have a great pregnancy, I’m afraid.”

“ _If_ we can save her and the baby,” Emma said.

“Yes, if,” Regina conceded, “but I definitely intend to.” She turned to one of the nurses. “We need the OR in ten minutes.”

“What about your patient?” Helena asked.

Regina just shook her head.

“Damn,” Helena cursed quietly. “That was her husband.”

Regina closed her eyes for a moment. “Damn indeed,” she echoed. “What a crappy day this is turning out to be. And it’s not even noon.”

Emma gave her a startled look, but Regina was focused on the monitor. Five minutes later Emma was done.

“Okay, pack her and move her to the OR,” Regina ordered.

—*—*—

The roof was empty, just as it always was. It had always been their refuge, especially Regina’s, and nobody else bothered to come up here any more. Not after the time some first years had tried to throw a party up here and the Wrath of Mills had come down on them. Hard.

Regina came up here to release the stress from their job under the vast sky. She enjoyed the view over the water and the way being outside soothed her soul when things went badly. And given their specialty, things often didn’t go as well as she wanted them to, no matter how hard and fast they worked.

She sat down against the wall around the corner from the access door, sheltered from the burning afternoon sun. They had lost the husband and last she heard a whole team of surgeons was still working on saving the wife and her baby. For one dark second Regina wondered if the woman wouldn’t be better off if she followed her husband, but then she shook it off. The baby would help make survival less painful, she knew, but the woman’s life would never be the same.

She pulled out her phone and flicked to the photo app. The picture of a small boy greeted her, his brown hair shaggy and his eyes as bright as his smile.

“How is Henry doing?”

Regina jumped at Helena’s question.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to startle you.” Helena slid down next to her friend and reached for the phone. “Any new photos of my favorite godson?”

Regina snorted. “As far as I know he's your only godson, H.G.” She handed over the phone. “There are a few from his grandfather’s birthday last week.”

“How is your dad?”

“Oh, he’s fine. Getting older, but I think Henry’s keeping him young.” She grinned at a photo that showed the two Henrys wrestling in her father’s backyard.

“And mommy dearest?”

Regina’s face hardened. “Still out there somewhere.” Helena put an arm around Regina’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Thank you.”

Helena pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple. “Always.” Then she cleared her throat.

“Uh-oh,” Regina mumbled.

“ _Uh-oh_ what?”

“You want to talk about Dr. Swan.” Regina sighed.

“She’s good at her job, you know,” Helena replied. “And she was great with the patient ... that’s a nice combination.”

“Good to know.” Regina sat up and leaned her head against the wall behind her. “Seriously, you know I trust your judgment,” she continued when she heard her friend’s snort. “If you say she’s good, I’ll believe it. I promise not to make those HR people’s lives a living hell for the next year for hiring her without letting me meet with her at least. Just for six months or so.”

“But that’s not really the issue you’re having with her presence on the team.”

“Well, meeting her in an interview before she was hired would have solved this little problem we’re having ...”

“Would it really?”

“What do you mean?”

“Regina, the electricity between you two could power the trauma center for a year,” Helena remarked dryly. “I don’t think that would have changed much.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “That’s only because we slept together, and if I had known who she was that would never have happened.”

Helena gave her a look. “You forget I was at the bar last night and you two were giving off sparks long before you decided to be spontaneous for once and act on that feeling.” She chuckled. “And judging by the bags under your eyes and the looks you gave each other this morning, there wasn’t much sleep involved at all.” Helena put a hand on Regina’s. “Look, I think you should give her a chance. At least talk to her, get to know her. Maybe there’s something there.”

“Did she say something to you?” Regina sounded vaguely suspicious.

Helena shook her head. “Not much. We _did_ try not to feed the nurses more gossip than strictly necessary for their continued survival.”

“Did you say something to her about me?”

“Regina, this isn’t high school,” Helena groaned. “I did not tell her that you _like_ her, and she didn’t ask me to tell you she _likes_ you. Seriously, talk to _her_ ... you’re both adults, you should be able to handle a conversation.”

Regina actually looked a little doubtful at that.

“Oh, please,” Helena said with a laugh. “Really?” She laughed again. “So make sure there aren’t any horizontal surfaces in the vicinity when you talk.” She stopped laughing when Regina hit her shoulder, hard. “Ouch,” she cried.

“That’s _not_ what I meant,” Regina muttered.

“Damn, Regina, that hurt.” Helena rubbed her shoulder with an exaggerated grimace.

Regina was instantly concerned and apologetic. “Oh God, I forgot about your shoulder. I’m so sorry. Do you need me to take a look at it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. Really.” She smirked. “Gives me a nice excuse to ask Myka for a massage tonight.” She grinned devilishly.

Her boss laughed. “She’s going to be happy to oblige.” She paused and looked out over the water. “I can’t date her, Helena.”

“Myka? Of course you can’t, I got there first.”

“Dr. Swan.”

“She has a first name, you know, and given that you’ve seen each other naked, maybe you should get used to, you know, actually using it,” Helena reminded her gently. "Why can't you date her? If she's the one, what's to stand in your way?"

"The one?" Regina echoed. "What on earth are you talking about? She was a one-night stand that I picked up in a bar when I was too drunk to know any better."

"If you say so ... although that's not what it looked like last night. Or sounded like this morning." Helena was trying hard not to get annoyed at Regina's obstinacy. "Regina, I haven't seen you look at someone like that since ... in a long time. Far too long, my friend. What’s wrong with trying to find happiness?”

Regina knew Helena was right, she _had_ felt an insane attraction towards the blonde ... _before_ she knew who she was, and after as well. But the way Helena was talking now made it sound like she believed Regina was feeling something as ridiculous as love at first sight. Everyone knew _that_ didn’t exist. _Still ..._

"I wasn't really all that drunk," she admitted. That was as close as Helena was going to get to an apology and to Regina admitting that there was indeed _something_ between her and Emma. H.G. softened immediately, but before she could say anything, Regina continued. "I still can't date her."

Helena sighed and raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, if you think that's what’s going to make you happy," she said, sounding disappointed. "At least be a little nicer to her. She doesn't deserve the cold shoulder ... not for simply being in the right place at the right time and having the audacity to make you feel something. Give her a chance." With that, she got up. "I'm going to go find Myka and try to find out how our patient is doing."

Regina nodded. As soon as Helena was gone, she let out a long breath. "It's not going to make me happy," she muttered miserably.


	2. Episode 1, Part 2: Second Chances?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Emma and Regina finally talk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same disclaimers apply.

**Episode 1, Part 2:** **Second Chances?**

“How’s our patient?” 

Myka turned around at the sound of her wife’s voice. “Still in surgery. Emma’s getting the full experience on her first day here.” 

“She scrubbed in?” Helena poured herself some coffee and held a second cup up in silent question. 

Myka shook her head. “If I drink any more of that tar-based sludge, I’ll be able to run to Biscayne Bay and back on caffeine fumes.” She dropped almost gracefully onto the couch in the corner of the locker room. “Emma said she’d finish the liver and abdominal repairs, seeing as she’s trained as a general surgeon.” She smiled at her wife. “ _I_ think she’s trying to avoid Regina.” 

“Who is hiding out on the roof to avoid _her_ ,” Helena added as she sank down next to Myka. She winced a little as her shoulder came into contact with Myka’s, who noticed immediately. “What are we going to do about those two?” 

“Did something aggravate your shoulder, honey?” She pulled at the collar of Helena’s scrub top to check, but the wound looked like it always did: still slightly pink, but healed. She ran a finger over the small, slightly rough scar. “I wish they’d done a better job stitching you up,” she sighed as she pressed a feather-light kiss to the scar. 

“Well, I’m not letting you cut it open again to make it look a little nicer,” Helena stated with a snort. “I’ll just have to stay out of the way of bullets from now on ... or at least learn how to duck.” She reached forward to put her coffee on the low table, then cupped Myka’s face and forced her gently to look into her eyes. “It’s okay, darling,” she said, “Regina just forgot this was my bum shoulder when she slapped it.” 

“She hit you?” Myka was outraged. “She knows you’re only just healed, she should know better, dammit.” 

Helena ran her hands through Myka’s locks in a soothing motion. “Shh, I deserved it, darling. I made fun of her reaction to Emma,” she explained. “I know that we’re just about the only people who are allowed to tease her, but I went over the threshold a little bit and she lashed out.” She kissed her wife’s forehead. “If it makes you feel better, I think she felt utterly horrible about it.” 

“She should,” Myka mumbled. “God knows I love her, but if she hurts you, I might have to hurt her back.” 

“You won’t,” Helena said simply and stopped Myka’s impending protest with her mouth. The kiss was gentle and deepened only for a blissful moment or two before they remembered they were at work. 

Myka moaned when they parted. “You’re so good at that,” she said, going back for one more taste. “Can we go back to the cabin? Please? Just for another month or so?” 

Helena laughed gently. “If you really want me to, I’ll ask the boss lady.” 

“I told you not to call me that,” Regina said from the doorway, lips curled into a grin that showed Helena that things were good between them. “Ask me what?” She walked over to their little coffee bar. “God, I hate this sludge. I wish Ruby’s would deliver ...” 

At the thought of the fantastic coffee at their regular breakfast spot, all three women moaned happily. Regina dumped her coffee, unable to drink it when she was dreaming of Ruby’s _café cubano_. 

“Anyway, ask me what?” she repeated. 

Helena grinned. “Myka wants to go back down to the cabin and never leave, I think.” 

“I didn’t say never,” Myka muttered into Helena’s shoulder. 

“You have no idea how well I understand you right now, Myka,” Regina said with a laugh. “Unfortunately, our patients won’t save their own lives, so we’ll have to do it for them.” She paused. “Maybe we should all go down there on the weekend? The team’s off rotation Friday to Sunday.” She saw the look between Helena and Myka. “Oh, for God’s sake, I’ll sleep on the boat, you two can have the cabin. We could have some time to catch up and relax.” 

“What about Henry?” Myka asked. “Don’t you want to bring him, too? You usually spend any free minute you have with him.” 

A look of sadness crossed Regina’s face. “He’s off to a photography camp this weekend,” she said with a sigh. “He’s been talking about nothing else for months, so I’m ... free.” _Alone. Lonely._

“Well, that’s perfect then, isn’t it?” Helena said. Her mind was already trying to work out how to get Emma down to the cabin without getting her, herself, or Myka killed in the process. One look at her wife told her that she was thinking the same thing. 

“One condition,” Regina added with a hint of steel in her voice. “There will be no mention of Dr. Swan.” 

“Absolutely, Regina.” Helena and Myka did their best to look innocent. They weren’t planning on _mentioning_ Emma, after all. Just have her join them. “Of course not.” 

Regina rolled her eyes and wondered if her friends really would be that ... meddlesome. 

—*—*— 

Emma threw her mask and gloves into the receptacle and left the OR, tired but happy, scrub cap held loosely in one hand. Their patient was stable for now, but Emma was not looking forward to updating her on her status and that of her husband. She knew that Myka and Regina had done their best to do the impossible, but from what Myka had said, there hadn’t been anything for them to do really. _Dead is dead._

“Good work, Dr. Swan,” Dr. – _what was his name again? Oh, yeah –_ Delgado said as he was walking past her. 

“Thanks,” she muttered absent-mindedly, her thoughts already back on Regina. She just couldn’t let it go, no matter how difficult the situation had become simply because she was now working under the woman. She shook her head as her mind flashed to the night before, saw herself writhing under Regina, pulling her closer, demanding _more ... harder ..._

_Snap out of it, Swan!_ Emma admonished herself. _This is not getting you anywhere. If you want to have a chance with her, you’ll need to play it cool ... be professional._ “Easier said than done,” she muttered to nobody in particular. 

She was glad when her pager went off and she had something else to focus on, even if it was, apparently, the paperwork she didn't manage to sign that morning. She headed for the elevator, which opened to reveal Myka. 

“Surgery over?” Myka asked as Emma entered the elevator. 

“Yeah,” Emma replied, leaning against the wall. “She’s going to be okay ... eventually.” 

“As okay as she can be after losing her husband,” Myka said quietly. “Let’s hope the kid will help her get over that loss.” She thought about Regina and Henry. “Sometimes, a child really helps.” 

Emma gave her a look. “That sounds ominously like the voice of experience ...” 

Myka shook her head, aware that she was close to revealing too much too soon. “Not me, no.” She decided to keep it vague, “A very close friend lost the man she loved and then she found out she was pregnant. It saved her in the end.” 

“Sounds tragic,” Emma commented. “I hope our patient is as strong as your friend seems to be.” 

“So do I.” They were both silent for a moment. “So, where are you headed?” 

“HR,” Emma said with a sigh. “Forgot to sign the paperwork this morning.” 

Myka laughed. “Well, you looked like you _were_ in a hurry ...” 

“Oh God, don’t remind me.” Emma lightly kicked the elevator wall with her heel. “If I hadn’t had to be here to sign these fucking papers, I wouldn’t have had to sneak out this morning, and things would maybe be a little easier now.” 

“You really walked out without waking her or at least leaving a note?” Myka tsked. “No wonder she was ...” She stopped as the elevator arrived at Emma’s floor. 

Emma held the door open, but didn’t exit. “She was what, Myka?” 

“Talk to _her_ ,” Myka answered gently. “Not me, not Helena.” 

“Funny, Helena said the same thing.” Emma took a breath. “I don’t know what to say to her. I really want to get to know her, Myka. I thought last night was ... it was a really good beginning.” She shook her head. “But to her I was just a one-night stand and now she doesn’t want anything to do with me ...” 

Myka silently counted to ten, then made up her mind. “Tell her that last night meant more to you than a one-night stand, and don’t let her hide behind the boss excuse.” She put a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Just promise me one thing: don’t lead her on. Don’t go after her just because the hunt is fun or you need to get off.” 

Emma cocked her head to the side, a little stunned. “Whoa, ooh-kay,” she finally drawled. “If I simply wanted to get off, I could do it myself with far less complications, jeez.” She met Myka’s eyes. “Like I already told Helena, I don’t normally go around looking for hook-ups … but Regina was so funny and interesting and just downright ... breathtaking …” She trailed off with a dreamy look on her face. 

“Good,” was all Myka said as she pushed Emma out of the elevator. “Nice scrub cap, by the way!” 

Emma smiled at the white swans on her red scrub cap, not all that put off by Myka’s friendly warning. So Regina had some very protective friends, which she thought was a good sign that the woman was worth any kind of trouble. You didn’t make friends like that if you weren’t worth knowing, so her plan for now was to try and get to know Regina. 

And hopefully manage to keep her libido in check while doing it. 

—*—*— 

Thirty minutes before the end of their shift the sound of her pager jerked Myka from her catnap. “Gah.” 

She heard a low chuckle and looked up to see Regina who gave her a rueful little smile over the top of the chart she was studying. “Excuse me while I go kill Pete for jinxing us this morning,” the chief muttered. 

Myka laughed. “Well, at least Emma’s first day wasn’t boring. Wouldn’t want her to run back to Seattle, would we?” 

Regina flinched a little and got up. “Yeah, wouldn’t want that.” Her tone was expressionless and Myka couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not. 

“Regina,” Myka began, but the other woman left the room before she could say anything else. “Great. Next time think before you speak, Myka.” She got up and stretched a little, getting the blood going. 

Emma burst through the door. “Oh hey, Myka.” 

“Do you ever just walk into a room? You know, quietly, at a normal pace?” Myka asked with a grin. 

Emma blushed. “Sorry, I think my body is still trying to catch up the five minutes I was late this morning. I promise I’m not always like this.” She paused. “Have you seen Regina?” 

“You just missed her.” Myka clipped her pager to her scrub pants. “She probably went to check the state of the trauma bays or something. She’s a little anal like that.” She decided not to mention that Regina had run from any mention of Emma. 

“Isn’t that Pete’s job?” Emma was still trying to figure who was doing what at the trauma center here. The ER in Seattle had handled things a lot differently, mostly because there wasn’t a dedicated, separate trauma center. 

Myka nodded. “Yeah, but you’ll realize soon that Regina likes to make sure that things are just the way she likes them.” 

“Control freak?” 

“Sometimes, yeah,” Myka admitted. “Everything for the sake of this team and our patients.” 

Emma sighed. “This is not going to be easy, is it?” She didn’t specify, and she didn’t really have to. 

Myka shook her head. “Anyway, is there anything I can do or did you need Regina specifically?” 

Emma blushed again. “I just wanted to talk to her, but she’s been avoiding me all day.” 

“You did get the page, right?” Myka asked. “We have incoming in ten, so now wasn’t a good time anyway.” 

“I know.” Emma wondered if her voice sounded as whiny to Myka as it did to her own ears. “To be honest, I just wanted to see her. Right now I’m willing to just look at her, even if she doesn’t want to talk.” 

Their pagers went off again. “Tell you what ...” Myka said hesitantly. “Why don’t you meet us for breakfast tomorrow morning? We’ll introduce you to the wonder that is Ruby’s diner and her wonderful coffee. _If_ our shift is over by then, that is.” 

“Us?” 

“It’s a tradition of sorts,” Myka explained. “Regina, Helena, and I often have breakfast at Ruby’s to start the shift off right. At least on the days after we get to go home for the night ... if the shifts don’t all run together ...” 

“Are you going to tell Regina you invited me?” 

Myka just laughed. “You want her to be there, don’t you?” 

Emma grinned. “Text me the address.” 

—*—*— 

“Dammit!” Emma growled. “What the hell kinda bullets did they use on this guy?” 

“Looks like hollow points,” came Helena’s terse reply. “Just keep going.” 

“We need more blood or this guy’s going to be dead soon, no matter what we do.” 

“On it.” Helena gave Pete a small sign and he left the room with a nod. “The only saving grace for this guy might be that he’s so large and that the shooter apparently had no idea what he was doing.” 

“Is the shooter the guy in the other room?” 

“Yep,” Helena replied. “Wonder if our guy here had better aim.” 

“Let’s hope not.” 

The monitors went off again. “What now?” Emma asked. There was no visible sign of distress on the patient. “Heart rate's dropping,” she mumbled. “We need more blood.” 

“That’s not it.” Helena shook her head. She surveyed the patient. “Bollocks! What’s going on? None of the bullets went anywhere near his heart. What else happened to this guy?” 

Emma was just about to point out a small bruise forming on the patient’s chest when the door opened and Regina rushed in, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves, followed by Pete. “What do we have?” 

Emma explained the situation quickly while Regina studied the monitor and the patient simultaneously. She had an idea but she wanted to see if Emma came to the same conclusion. “Ideas?” 

Helena looked at her boss and recognized the look in her eyes. _She’s testing us ... No, Emma. She’s testing Emma. Please be as good as I think you are, Swan._

Emma covered the wound she had been working on and put her hand on the man’s chest, pressing down gently next to the growing bruise. “Syringe, 16-gauge.” She met Regina’s eyes straight on. “Cardiac tamponade,” she said with certainty. “I’m going to relieve the pressure.” 

Regina nodded, glad that her mask covered her smile. _Well, well, she_ is _good._ She watched as Emma carefully felt for a spot and rammed the needle into the man’s chest. Only when it looked like Emma was hesitating after this initial action did she reach out and gently touched Emma's hand, moving the syringe to a slightly different angle. Emma gave her a quick look, then started to draw the blood from the chest cavity. Immediately the patient’s heart rate picked up. 

“Good job, Dr. Swan,” Regina said sincerely. Helena looked on with a smile as Emma swallowed and nodded. Regina checked the patient’s status once more. “I think you have everything well in hand here. I’ll be in ICU checking on the other half of this pair of idiots.” 

Emma and Helena chuckled as Regina left the room. “Well done,” Helena murmured. “You impressed the boss lady.” 

“We both know she was testing me.” 

Helena nodded. “And you passed with flying colors.” 

Emma let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding. “You have no idea how much I needed to be right about this.” _And not just because of my job._ She knew she didn’t need to add that, especially not in front of the nurses. 

“I know.” Helena bent back over the patient. 

“It’s a good thing then that this was not the first time I saw one. And had a really great heart surgeon show me what to do.” 

Helena laughed. The she leaned closer to Emma, so she could whisper. “You didn’t really need Regina’s help just now, did you? You just wanted her to touch you.” 

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I’d risk looking incompetent for one tiny, not to mention _professional,_ touch?” 

Helena’s raised eyebrow was her only answer. 

“Let’s find out why our guy was bleeding around his heart, okay?” Emma winked. “And I’m not gonna tell. Ever.” 

“That’s what _you_ think.” 

—*—*— 

Pete looked sideways at Regina as she checked the other shooting victim. “You didn’t have to worry about our transfer,” he remarked casually. “She’s good. She aced your little test.” 

Regina chuckled, feeling inexplicably proud. “She did. She’s done it before,” she replied. “Nobody’s _that_ confident the first time they ram a 16-gauge needle into a patient’s chest.” 

“If she’s done it before, why did she need you to guide her hand?” 

Regina shrugged the question off, but her mind had mulled over the same thing since she left the trauma room. _Why indeed?_ And why had she done it? She didn’t usually help by touching her residents. She didn’t touch them, period. Touching wasn’t her thing, unless it was good friends or family. 

_I can’t let her get to me like that. I just can’t._

—*—*— 

Their shift was over when Emma and Helena finally sent their patient to the OR for further surgery and made their way to the break room. Myka smiled at them from her comfortable position on the sofa. “Hey, you two.” 

“Hey,” Emma replied, feeling tired and wired at the same time. 

“It’s only ten,” H.G. said. “That’s almost early. Are you done?” she asked Myka. 

Myka nodded and got up, stretching her body as she went. “Time to go home and leave the fun stuff to the Beta team.” 

Emma looked around. “Do you know if—?” 

“On the roof, most likely,” H.G. replied. “It’s where she goes to come down after a shift before she goes home.” 

“ _If_ she goes home,” Myka mumbled. 

“Make sure she does, okay?” Helena said quietly. “I think you could both use some sleep after last night.” She grinned widely when Emma blushed and nodded. 

—*—*— 

Emma took the elevator to the top floor and looked around for the door to the roof. Once she found it, she paused to take a deep breath before opening the door slowly and stepping outside. She closed the door quietly behind herself, then looked around. It was darker than she had anticipated and it took her eyes a moment to adjust after the brightness of the hospital's interior. The roof was only lit by a few red warning lights on the corners of the lower roof and the helipad. Emma looked around, but Regina was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, she leaned back against the door. "Damn," she said. "Stop hiding from me." 

"What makes you think that anybody would be hiding from you, Doctor Swan?" 

_Regina._ Emma looked around. "Well, it sure looks like you tried to keep your distance from me today," she replied as she slowly walked forward. "Which could lead me to the assumption that you were avoiding me.” 

"You've been here for one day and you're already assuming that everything is about you? That bodes well for your future on this team." 

The voice was closer now and Emma walked towards the sound. "So, if you weren't avoiding me today, you won't mind me joining you now, I guess." Emma rounded a corner and almost stumbled over Regina who was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. "You won't mind if we talk, right?" 

Regina looked up with a glare."Talk?" she asked imperiously. "I'm not sure what we'd have to talk about." 

Emma sat down next to Regina, leaving only a sliver of space between them. She grinned when her boss moved away, widening the gap immediately. "That’s bull, Doctor Mills," Emma stated as calmly as she could. "We have lots to talk about, not the least of which is the fact that I'm a new member of your team and should therefore be of _some_ interest to you." 

Regina snorted. "So you want to talk about—“ 

"I don't want to talk about our jobs, no,” Emma interrupted. 

"What else could be of interest to me?" 

Emma wondered if she imagined the slight shakiness in Regina's voice. For a second she contemplated just leaning over and kissing Regina because _damn_ she missed the feeling of those lips against hers. She let the thought go since she didn't fancy being fired for sexual harassment, but that didn't stop her heart from racing inside her chest. "I wanted to apologize," she said instead. 

Regina looked at her sharply. "Oh?" she asked. "Are you sure you don't want _me_ to apologize to _you_ for your _really rough_ morning?" Her question was dripping in sarcasm. 

"What? No! What are you … huh?" Emma abruptly stopped her rambling. She had a feeling she was missing an important part of the conversation, and took a deep breath to stave off the anger she was beginning to feel. "What are you talking about?" she finally asked. 

Regina saw the confusion and anger forming on Emma's face and she had to fight down the urge to reach over and smooth her brow. It would be so easy just to give in and ... _no_. She cleared her throat. "The first thing you said this morning was that you were late because you had _such a rough morning_." 

Regina realized she sounded petty and rolled her eyes at herself, wishing she could take back the words. Maybe she should just get up and leave. She tensed her muscles to stand, but a hand on her arm stopped her. 

"Don't run," Emma demanded, getting even angrier now. All she had wanted was to apologize, so they could go back to the kissing part. She _really_ wanted to get back to the kissing part. 

"I do not run," Regina replied darkly, muscles still tense. "That seems to be your specialty." 

With that Emma's disappointment and anger came to a boil. "My _specialty_ is general surgery, Doctor Mills,” she shot back venomously. "Well, trauma now." 

She let go of Regina as if her arm burned her. "And for your information," she continued hotly, "what made my morning _really rough_ was the fact that I had to leave your bed to get here for my _first fucking day_ at my new job, and I really couldn't afford to be late! I panicked and ran out before I remembered to leave my name and number!" Emma exhaled loudly, feeling her anger leave with the hot air, only to be replaced by all the weariness she felt after a long day and a very short night. A _fantastic_ short night. She gave Regina a sad smile. "When all I wanted was to wake you up and continue where we had left off a few hours earlier." 

Regina watched Emma carefully in the dim light, realizing that she was being honest. _Okay, so maybe she had taken Emma's behavior that morning the wrong way, but that didn't really change things._ Regina started to say exactly that, but the words just wouldn't form. "You were still late," she finally said with a small smile of her own. 

Emma stared at her. "That's all you have to say to that?" She shook her head and snorted. "I'm sorry," she added after a pause, hope fleeing her heart. "I guess I shouldn't have hoped that you share my feelings about last night." Emma stood, hoping she could get off this roof before she started to cry. 

Regina recognized that this was the perfect opportunity to end this ... unfortunate thing between them once and for all, but again her throat constricted around the words, and again something else came out. "What _are_ your feelings about last night?" she whispered as she jumped up before Emma could leave. 

"What?" Emma stopped in her tracks and turned around. Regina was standing only inches away, much closer than she had anticipated, and whatever she wanted to say flew right out of her mind. 

Regina stared at her shoes. “W-What are your feelings—?” 

Emma didn’t leave her time to finish the question before she did what she had wanted to do ever since she woke up that morning. She curled her hands into Regina’s scrub top and pulled her closer, then kissed her as fiercely and as passionately as she knew how, pouring her feelings about their night together into the melding of their lips. 

Regina moaned deep in her throat, which only spurred Emma on more. She gently pushed Regina back against the wall and deepened their kiss even further as she let her hands wander down Regina’s arms and around her back. There was no space between them as their tongues wrapped around each other, eliciting moans and panting breaths through their noses. 

Regina’s hands slid into Emma’s hair, pulling her head impossibly closer as Emma’s thigh slipped between Regina’s legs and pushed her harder against the wall. Regina gasped loudly and wrenched her mouth from Emma’s. Her hands moved to Emma’s shoulders and pushed her away before she would allow herself to be pulled into another kiss, knowing that neither of them would be able to stop this if she didn’t do it right now. 

Emma inhaled deeply to steady her breathing. Her eyes searched Regina’s, but the dark eyes were unreadable. “Hey,” she whispered with a small half-grin. She leaned in closer and pressed a soft, quick kiss to the lips that were so tantalizingly close. “ _This_ ,” she said softly, “is what I feel about last night.” 

Regina swallowed and closed her eyes. She knew that this could never be, and knowing they felt the same way about their night together only made what she was about to say so much harder. 

“I would like to take you out to dinner,” Emma continued with a hopeful smile, ignorant of Regina’s internal struggle. “I want us to go on a date ... a second date, if you will,” she continued, grinning playfully now. “If you count last night as our first date. Which I sort of do.” 

Regina gently pushed Emma away, creating the distance she needed to get out the words she wasn’t sure she wanted to say. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Emma’s eyes, certain that her own would reveal things she’d rather keep to herself. “I can’t,” she said to Emma’s chest. 

“I didn’t say when,” Emma replied quietly, but her voice had lost some of its joyful hope. 

Regina rolled her eyes with a long, almost sad sigh. “I can’t date you, Doctor Swan,” she said, trying to sound firm and at least somewhat professional, but the words came out strangled by the vise she felt closing around her throat. “I’m your boss, it’s completely unprofessional. Out of the question.” 

Emma dropped her hands from Regina’s body and wrapped them around herself. She should have expected that, but hearing it still hurt. “But ... but you feel this, too,” she protested. “I know you do. The way you just kissed me—” 

“Should never have happened, and I apologize,” Regina said softly. “I know this is not what you expected when you transferred here, so I’ll understand if you want to transfer out of my team.” 

“And I guess you’re going to write me a glowing letter of recommendation?” Emma asked sarcastically. 

“Of course.” Regina sounded confused. 

“Based on what? My technique in bed? The dexterity of my tongue and fingers?” Emma snorted, completely pissed off again. She wondered how it was possible for this woman to send her emotions running the gamut from elated to devastated in mere seconds. “I’m _not_ going to transfer out, Doctor Mills. I think I’m right where I want to be. _And_ I want to date you.” 

“Emma ...” 

Emma held up her hands. “I know, I know, you’re my boss.” She searched Regina’s face and seemed to find what she was looking for in the dark eyes watching her wearily. “I know you feel this too, Regina,” she said softly. “If I didn’t work here, you _would_ date me.” 

Before Regina could deny that, Emma kissed her again, hard. Then she stepped back and walked towards the door. Before she opened it, she called back over her shoulder. “I’m not giving up, you know. I _will_ take you out on a date one day. Soon.” 

She turned her head to look back, remembering something else. “Helena and Myka said to make sure you go home tonight. So, _please,_ go home and get some sleep.” With that, she opened the door and walked inside, leaving Regina to stare after her. 

Regina shook her head and let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She knew she could fall in love with Emma, and that thought scared her more than she was ready to admit. “You’re dangerous, Emma Swan.” 

She pushed herself off the wall to go home. 


	3. Episode 2: The Breakfast Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All disclaimers still apply. 
> 
> A/N: Thank you for the great response to the "pilot", which made me go ahead with the story. I don't know how far I'll take this (it's a bit of an experiment) or how often I'll be able to update this because the chapters are long and take a lot of time to write, and we all know RL can be quite ignorant of our needs like that sometimes ...

**Episode 2 – The Breakfast Club**

Myka slapped the alarm and curled back into Helena’s arms. “Don’t wanna get up,” she mumbled sleepily. "Way too early." 

“Good morning, darling.” H.G. ran her hand through Myka’s curls with a soft smile. 

“Why are you awake?” Myka murmured. 

“I enjoy watching you sleep.” 

Myka stretched languidly, then sat up against the headboard. “That’s creepy,” she said. “And corny. It’s a good thing I love you.” 

“Yes, darling.” H.G. grinned broadly as she leaned in for a kiss. 

“Bad dreams?” Myka asked gently when they parted. It wasn’t unusual for her wife to spend half the night awake due to nightmares. 

H.G. shrugged. “The usual.” She kissed Myka again to stop any further probing before slowly rolling out of bed. Myka didn't need to know that she could still feel the burning sand on her skin, in her hair, in her eyes, could still feel the bullet entering her body. H.G. shook her head once to dispel those thoughts before facing Myka again. “Wanna save on water and share a shower, darling?” 

“Absolutely.” Myka jumped up, hiding her sigh with the rustling of the sheets. She was worried about H.G., but it was hard enough to get her to admit she had nightmares in the first place, and she outright refused to talk about them. She wondered if Regina would have a better chance. It would sting a little but if it helped H.G. she would deal with it. She nodded to herself, deciding she’d ask Regina if she’d talk to Helena. 

Sometimes it still felt strange to Myka that her wife and her boss had so much history, had known each other for so long, but most days it was a very good thing. Their small team worked as the perfect unit, and Myka was sure they could integrate Emma into the team just fine. If Regina only were a little less stubborn, that was. 

Myka stretched and followed H.G. into the bathroom. “We don’t have that much time,” she reminded her wife. “I told Emma to meet us at Ruby’s in an hour.” 

“And Regina is coming too?” 

Myka nodded with a wide grin as she turned on the water to let it warm. 

H.G.’s smile turned wicked. “Regina has no idea Emma will be there, right?” 

Myka dragged H.G. into the shower stall with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Come on, we’re wasting valuable time.” 

—*—*— 

_She was writhing under her, head straining up from the bed to hunt for another kiss. Their lips had only been apart for seconds but that was more than long enough for both of them. Regina’s hand slid over breasts dusted liberally with light freckles and a scar she wants to ask about but not right now, ending up at a hardened tip, teasing and twisting and touching and tweaking. They kept kissing passionately, wetly, while their hands tried to reach everywhere at once. And suddenly a hand,_ Emma’s _hand was where she had wanted it for what felt like hours._

_“Don’t tease,” Regina managed to rasp when the hand didn’t continue its journey._

_“It’s only teasing if I don’t follow through,” Emma replied as she pushed two fingers deeply inside and began a slow but thoroughly enticing rhythm._

_Regina’s eyes rolled back in her head as she gave herself over to the pleasure. “More,” she groaned. “Please. More.”_

“Mom! Mom!” 

The excited shouts startled Regina from her dream, heart racing and body flushed from arousal. She barely had a second before a 60-pound ball of energy impacted her bed and her body with a gleeful giggle, and she had to take several deep breaths before she had calmed enough to pull her son into a loving cuddle and kiss his head. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Her voice sounded raspier than usual to her own ears. “Why are you up so early?” 

“Morning, Mom.” Henry beamed at her. “Grandpa said you came home last night.” He snuggled into her arms with a content sigh. “He says breakfast is ready and to get up.” 

Regina ran her hand through Henry’s unruly hair. “I wanted to see you last night, so I came home,” she explained. “And now I’d much rather stay here all day and play with you than get up.” _Or go to work and see Emma Swan. It’s bad enough that she haunts my dreams now._

“You have to go to work and save people,” Henry said with the earnestness and patience of a child who had heard that explanation a lot as he slowly pulled out of her arms to get up. “And I have to go to school.” 

“I know, sweetheart, I know.” Regina sat up as well. “But since I won’t get to see you on the weekend, I thought I’d at least see you this morning, okay?” She reached over and tickled Henry, who squirmed and giggled until he was breathless. 

“Okay, okay, Mom!” he yelled as he leaped off the bed as soon as Regina let up a little. “Come have breakfast, I‘m starving.” He ran out of the room without a backwards glance. 

Regina shook her head with a small, slightly rueful smile. Maybe she should be glad that Henry had pulled her from her erotic dream featuring Emma Swan in astounding detail, but a part of her wanted nothing more than to close her eyes again and go back to it. _Ah, well …_ she needed to get up anyway, if she wanted to make their ritual breakfast on time. 

“Best alarm clock in the world,” she muttered as she got out of bed, in the end unable to be anything but charmed by her son despite the rude awakening. 

It was always a balm to her soul to see her son in the mornings, she thought as the hot water ran down her body in the shower. She often felt bad that her son grew up with his grandfather more than her, but with her job it was the only solution. Her guilt was assuaged a little by the fact that Henry clearly adored his grandfather and vice versa, and that by living with Henry Sr. her son had the opportunity to grow up in a nice, warm home with lots of land around and a good school nearby. Her own South Pointe Park condo just wasn’t the same, beautiful though it was. With her father, Henry had the stability he needed while still seeing his mother every chance she could. It still hurt sometimes, and she knew she missed things other mothers didn’t but that was the price she had to pay for being good at her job. 

She pulled on her jeans and a white button-up shirt and went downstairs, still toweling her hair. “Good morning, Rosa,” she greeted her father’s housekeeper and all-around good soul. 

“Good morning, corazon.” 

Regina walked over to the woman who had raised her at least as much as her own mother had, and much better and with more love too. “Coffee smells good,” she sighed. “You can’t believe the stuff we have at the hospital.” 

“Life is too short to drink bad coffee,” Rose said seriously as she whirled the spatula in her hand. “What would you like for breakfast?” 

Regina enjoyed two long sips of coffee before replying with a short shake of her head. “I’m meeting H.G. and Myka for breakfast,” she explained. 

Rosa turned to face her fully. “It’s good that Helena is back from that horrible place.” Her voice took on a hard edge. “War does bad things to people, and Myka was so sad all the time, so worried.” 

“She’s much happier now. We _all_ are.” Regina couldn’t help her grin. “Helena and Myka were down at the cabin for a week before they had to come back to work yesterday.” 

Rosa laughed. “That was a nice thing you did for them.” Then she paused to study Regina’s face for a long moment. “Did something happen to you? You look different …” 

Regina’s breath hitched, but she shook her head rapidly. _That was impossible._ “No … n-nothing,” she replied, already knowing it was too fast, too squeaky to convince Rosa. “Nothing important anyway,” she amended. 

Rosa put down the spatula and wiped her hands on her apron, before pushing Regina back to the table by her shoulders. “Sit,” she ordered. “Now tell me.” 

Regina winced. “I can’t, Rosa,” she said, not actually all that sorry to miss the inquisition for now. “I have to be at Ruby’s in half an hour.” 

“Go then,” Rosa said, pointing her spatula towards the back door. “But don’t think I will forget.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Regina grinned as she jogged out of the room in search of her son. 

—*—*— 

Emma got dressed with much more care than she normally would for a shift at the hospital considering she’d be changing into scrubs the minute she walked into work. This morning was different, however. This morning she was meeting Regina for breakfast, and she wanted to look good. She was glad, however, that Helena and Myka would be there as a buffer. It was always a good thing to have great people to work with, people you liked and who liked you, people who had your back when you needed them. She’d had that in Seattle, and it looked like she might have that again here in Miami. 

If she could get Regina to let her in, at least a little. 

The camaraderie with Myka and Helena made her miss Seattle a little less. She hadn’t wanted to leave but had been forced to out of a sheer sense of self-preservation. And now … well, maybe it would turn out to be the best decision she had ever made. _Or the worst._

Thinking of her old hospital reminded Emma that Myka had liked her scrub cap the day before, and she decided that she could transfer this one tradition from Seattle to Miami as well. She picked up her phone and pulled up a name from her contacts, then typed out a quick text. To her surprise, her phone rang twenty seconds later. 

“Forgot to set your phone to vibrate again, Torres?” she asked with a wide grin that pulled at her cheeks. 

“On call and wide awake,” came the dry reply around a yawn. 

“Ouch.” It was the middle of the night in Seattle after all. “Sorry about that.” 

“Yeah, yeah. How’s my hometown treating you? I googled your new boss a little and asked around, and she seems to be very good at what she does … doesn’t mean she’s not a total bitch, though. So spill.” 

Emma smiled at the hint of protectiveness she could hear in her friend’s voice. “She’s amazing,” she replied, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray just _how_ amazing she found Regina. “Brilliant, driven.” _Beautiful, sexy, unattainable for now …_

The low chuckle that came through the phone told Emma that she hadn’t sounded as casual as she had hoped. “Sounds like you have a crush on her already, Swan. Well, I saw a picture of her, so I’m not that surprised, you know. Even Yang said she was hot, and you don’t want to know what Karev said …” 

Emma wasn’t sure what to say, so she hesitated too long. “Er …” 

“Uh-oh,” Callie Torres said seriously. “Don’t tell me it’s more than a crush already, Swan. You _just_ got there!" Emma could practically hear her friend's eye roll before she turned serious again. "Are you okay, though? We miss you here but it's good that you managed to get out so quickly." 

"Is he still around?" 

"Your stalker? No, he was fired after the assault and his arrest, but last I heard he’s out on bail, so ... be careful, Swan. You don’t know if he’s learned his lesson yet. Nobody here’s going to tell him where you went, but he might come after you nonetheless.” 

Emma swallowed. "I hope I'm far enough away for him to lose interest, but I'll be careful no matter what." 

"Why didn't you ever tell us he was getting that bad? He was after you for months!” 

"I thought I could handle him, you know," Emma said defensively. “I thought he was just the usual brand of creepy … I had no idea he was that close to the edge. Besides, what could you have done about it?" 

"Well, I could have broken his legs in twenty different places for starters, and then Yang could have threatened to carve out his heart with a blunt scalpel while Grey held him down. And Arizona would have made his ears bleed with a long story about one of her tiny humans … you know she loves telling those stories … And that’s before we would have let Bailey have …” 

Emma laughed out loud at the images in her head. "Stop please. I can't breathe." She took a deep breath between giggles. “God, I miss all of you, you know." 

"We know," Torres said softly. "But it looks like you're making new friends quickly." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Mills? Your boss?" Torres reminded her. “Want to tell me what's going on there?” 

Emma cleared her throat. “We spent the night together,” she muttered. 

“You slept with your boss?” Torres shouted into the phone, but Emma could hear the glee in her voice. “ _Such_ a Seattle Grace thing to do. Seems we trained you well here …” 

“It wasn’t like that,” Emma blurted. “I didn’t know who she was at the time. We met in a bar, had a few drinks, and then I went home with her.” 

“You know you could have googled your new boss before driving down there just like I did, right?” Callie asked. “I was surprised I’d never met her growing up. She’s local.” 

“I had other things on my mind at the time,” Emma reminder her. “Here’s the thing, Callie: I want to date her,” she added wistfully, “but she says she can’t because she’s my boss. What do I do?” 

“Does she feel the same way about you?” 

Emma nodded before realizing that her friend couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I think she does.” 

“Then to hell with her being your boss, Emma,” Callie insisted. “We both know how short life can be, so go for it.” 

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Emma agreed. “I’m actually meeting her and the other two doctors on the team for breakfast now.” 

“So she won’t date you, but a breakfast date is fine?” 

Emma chuckled. “She doesn’t know I’m coming.” 

Torres laughed. “Sneaky, I like it.” There was a pause. “Be careful, though, okay? Watch out for Jones … and your heart.” 

_Too late,_ Emma thought. “I will,” she said instead. “Okay, gotta go. It was good to hear your voice. Tell everyone I said hi.” 

“Will do. Oh, and I’ll text you the number you wanted.” 

“Thanks.” 

—*—*— 

Ruby’s was crowded even at 7am, every booth and table filled with people who desperately clung to their mugs just trying to get up. Emma walked around the line forming at the counter to see if she could spot her coworkers. 

“Swan!” An arm shot up at a booth in the far corner and Emma experienced a slight twinge of disappointment when she saw that Myka and Helena were alone. She swiftly walked over to them, barely avoiding a scantily-clad waitress, and sank into the seat across from the grinning couple. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” Emma breathed out. 

“I don’t think you are actually,” Myka replied graciously. 

“Definitely not as late as Regina,” H.G. pointed out. 

Emma’s heart rate picked up. “So she’s coming?” 

Myka and Helena shared a small smile at the thinly veiled interest in Emma’s voice. “Unless she’s been called in, she’ll be here,” Myka reassured her. 

“She does function a lot better with Ruby’s _cubano_ in her,” H.G. added. 

“Don’t we all?” Myka sighed. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a _cubano_ before,” Emma remarked. “But if it’s coffee, you can bet I’ll give it a try.” 

“Believe us, Ruby’s coffee is a religious experience,” Myka said. “Too bad she doesn’t deliver.” 

“But the hospital is just around the corner …” 

“It’s a principle Ruby’s grandmother established when she was still running the diner, and Ruby has stayed true to tradition …” 

“It’s a good tradition,” the scantily-clad waitress said from right beside their table. “Morning, ladies,” she greeted them. “Did you forget to drag Regina out of that hospital of yours this morning?” She turned her full attention and a teasing smile on Emma. “Hello, Beautiful, my name is Ruby and I run this little piece of paradise. What’s your name? You know, just so I know who made my heart beat faster just now.” 

Emma blushed at the blatant flirting, even though she could tell that it wasn’t particularly serious, which was confirmed when she saw that Myka and Helena were almost doubled over from laughing at the look on her face. “I’m Emma,” she told Ruby with a bright smile. She did know how to flirt back, after all. “I’m new in town.” 

“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing you in here on a regular basis,” Ruby replied, leaning down a little to offer Emma a good look at her assets. 

Emma choked a little on her words at the display, but decided to roll with it. “That totally depends on whether or not your coffee is as good as these two claim it is,” she said with a wink. “And I’m from Seattle, I know my coffee.” 

Ruby laughed loudly. “Honey, you don’t know nothing. You haven’t had coffee until you’ve had Cuban coffee, trust me.” 

Unseen by all of them, Regina had come into the diner and was standing a few feet away. She had been shocked into stopping, hidden a little by the coffee line, when she realized that Emma was sitting across from her friends. She allowed herself a moment to watch her, to get over her surprise at seeing her, a moment sorely needed to build up the walls she hadn’t thought necessary for a friendly breakfast. 

Just as Regina was about ready to join her team at the table, she watched as Ruby turned up the charm and began to flirt shamelessly with Emma. She knew that Ruby did that to everyone, man or woman, and that it didn’t necessarily mean anything, but for the first time in years she didn’t find Ruby’s teasing and flirting amusing at all. 

In fact, it was downright annoying, and it needed to stop. 

It was that thought more than anything else that propelled her toward the table in a few quick steps. “So sorry I’m late,” she drawled, glaring at Ruby, then raising an eyebrow at H.G. and Myka as a silent reprimand. She avoided Emma completely. 

“Oh hey, Regina,” Ruby looked confused at the thunderous look on Regina’s face for a moment but her sunny grin was back in just a few seconds. “I was just getting to know your new friend Emma here.” 

“We’re _not_ friends,” Regina barked before she could stop herself. She could see Myka’s grimace out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze went to Emma as she wondered what the other woman would think of her outburst. 

Emma smirked at her boss before giving Ruby a small smile. “Yet, she means,” she said calmly. “But I have high hopes.” 

Ruby looked from Emma to Regina and back, her mind working a mile a minute behind her eyes. She turned to Myka with a questioning look and the smirk she received back confirmed that she wasn’t just imagining the crackling tension between the two women. She had a feeling things were about to become very interesting in Dr. Mills’ well-run trauma unit. She turned to Regina. “Are you going to sit down or are you going to remain standing today?” 

Regina glared at the only empty seat at the table, right next to Emma, before sliding into the booth with a small sigh. It was way too early for drama. “Are you going to get us coffee or are you going to stand here flirting with my new resident?” she shot back, biting her lip when she realized what she’d said. _Dammit, what was it about Emma Swan’s presence that made her lose her cool all the time?_ Now they’d all think she was jealous. Which she clearly wasn’t. _At all._

Regina kept her eyes on the table in front of her, avoiding the knowing look she knew she’d find on Myka’s and H.G.’s faces if she looked up. _Why on earth would they invite Emma for breakfast anyway? This is_ our _tradition,_ she thought, a scowl forming on her face. 

Ruby nudged her with an evil grin as she handed Emma a menu, knowing she’d be the only one who might need one. “Be right back with your coffee, ladies.” 

Emma had watched Regina from the first moment she had noticed her presence, and what she had seen — was _still_ seeing — gave her hope. She wondered if Regina knew how expressive her eyes and face were, not quite daring to hope that she brought that out in her boss. She had been able to see the jealousy spark in those eyes, but also the desperate attempt to appear unaffected, and she knew for sure that Regina was a lot of things in her presence, but cool, calm and collected were not among them, no matter how hard she pretended to be. 

When she turned her gaze from Regina — who was clinging to the edge of the booth as if Emma had a really bad case of B.O. — to Myka and Helena, she had to smile at the satisfied grins on both their faces. 

With a slightly devilish grin, Emma scooted closer to Regina, knowing she had nowhere to go. 

—*—*— 

Their breakfast was cut short when all their pagers went off, calling them in early. Regina was the only one who breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of having to hurry to the trauma unit because the driver of a semi transporting hazardous chemicals had lost control of his rig and crashed into oncoming traffic severely injuring dozens of people as it exploded. 

“Does that happen often?” Emma asked as they all gathered their things and dropped money on the table. “Getting called in early?” 

“You’ll get used to it,” Myka replied as H.G. nodded while downing the last of her coffee. “It usually only happens when something major like this happens and they need all hands on deck.” 

“If it’s too much for you, Dr. Swan, you’re very welcome to transfer back to wherever you came from,” Regina added darkly. 

Emma knew she had pushed Regina hard this morning, and she was just lashing out in frustration. Emma hoped it wasn’t _just_ general frustration with her on Regina’s part because the closeness she had kept up as well as the casual touches she had managed had Emma a little more riled up than she thought she would be. With all this in mind, she swallowed back a snarky retort and simply shrugged. “Not a problem, Dr. Mills.” 

Regina nodded and turned to go, but not without giving the rest of her coffee a final, lingering glance. “We’re going to need a lot of coffee today,” she sighed as she turned to walk away. “I wish Ruby delivered …” 

Emma’s eyes followed her all the way to the door while she wished Regina would look at her the way she did at the coffee. 

She also had a sudden inspiration. 

“You coming?” H.G. asked, hand in the small of Myka’s back as they walked out. 

“Go ahead. I need one second,” Emma told her distractedly, eyes roaming the diner for what she wanted. When she saw H.G. giving her a curious look, she added, “Go! I swear I’m right behind you.” 

—*—*— 

It was hell. 

For the first time in her medical career Emma felt like she was in the wrong place and the completely wrong profession. She had never experienced anything like this day and now, as the day drew to its close, she finally had a few minutes to breathe between people dying under her hands left, right and center. 

Maybe it was a good thing that this happened on only her second day at Miami Trauma, maybe she had needed the wake-up call that showed her the real difference between an emergency room and a dedicated trauma center. 

The difference was the _constant_ proximity to death. 

And maybe, _just maybe_ she just wasn’t cut out for that, for working with the grim reaper watching over her shoulder the whole time. Not that people hadn’t died in the ER back in Seattle while they tried to save them. There had been ferry accidents and shootings and other disastrous events there as well, but at least there had been moments when the next patient you turned to _would_ make it, and they were going to make it without you having to drag them away from death’s door by diving into their body with both hands, forcing their hearts to keep beating while desperately trying to find one of the dozen or so things that were dragging them towards oblivion. 

Here at Miami Trauma, Emma had realized over the course of the day, _every_ patient they had was at death’s door, and most had one foot already well over the threshold. _Circling the drain_ was what Pete had called it. _The Golden Hour_ , H.G. had added as they ran back and forth between patients with just enough time to swap their bloody gloves for a pair of fresh ones. 

_The patient’s last chance,_ Regina had added with determination on her face as she directed both trauma teams to where they were most needed, while Pete directed the flow of incoming trauma patients to any available trauma suite. 

Pete at work was a wonder to behold, Emma thought, as he calmly stood in the center of the storm, communicating with Regina with just a nod or a few words, sending people to where they needed to go. The ones not yet close to death he sent to the ER with a few short words for the EMTs who nodded and ran off with their patients, down the long corridor that connected the trauma center to the hospital next door. 

But it was Regina who completely stunned Emma that day with her absolute determination to patch every patient up enough so they could make it to an OR and be saved. She worked with an intensity that rivaled any of the great doctors she had worked with before, and Emma had to remind herself often that she had her own patients to focus on. It was probably a good thing that Regina worked in another trauma suite most of the day, once more leaving Emma with H.G. or Myka. The few cases she had been working on the same patient as Regina, however, had been an absolute revelation, and even amidst all the mayhem and death, Emma couldn’t help but fall a little bit harder. 

Now the worst was over and Emma was resting in an arm chair, exhausted physically and mentally. She opened one eye and looked around the break room only to realize that H.G. and Myka looked about as great as she felt, and that Regina was nowhere to be seen. Emma sighed heavily as she wondered if she would have to chase her boss all over the hospital again just to see her. 

“She’s checking on the patients,” H.G. mumbled without opening her eyes. “You know, just in case you were wondering where Regina was.” 

“How did you …?” 

Myka laughed lightly. “Don’t ask, Emma. Apparently, Helena can see even with her eyes closed.” 

H.G. huffed. “Not well enough,” she grumbled as she rubbed her shoulder. 

Emma watched as Myka gripped H.G.’s thigh in response and wondered what that was all about, but before she could say anything, Myka gave a her a look that told her not to ask right now. 

“How are you holding up, Swan?” H.G. asked after a long moment of silence, eyes still closed. 

Emma groaned in response, but shook her head. It wouldn’t do to reveal her doubts, even though they were burning a hole in her mind. 

“That well, eh?” Myka tried to lighten the mood, but turned serious when she saw the expression on Emma’s face. “Emma, I know we’ve only met yesterday but we’re your team, and we all feel bad after tough days … So, what’s going on in your head?” 

“I’ve never seen anything like today,” Emma grudgingly admitted after a long enough pause that Myka had begun to wonder if she’d asked too much of their new team mate. “So many people died today … died when I tried to save them … and there was nothing I …” Emma swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe I should just …” 

Regina listened from just inside the door as Emma talked to Myka and Helena. She was standing behind Emma, but Myka had seen her come in and had shaken her head once, which had stopped Regina in her tracks. She continued to listen despite the feeling that it was somehow wrong, but she told herself that she had to know if the new doctor on her team couldn’t cut it. She couldn’t work with doctors who didn’t trust in their own abilities. It was far better to cut your losses and find somebody else for the position, someone who didn’t make things so complicated. 

At least that was what Regina told herself. She listened to Emma, thinking that this was another perfect opportunity to end this thing between them once and for all, to make sure that Emma disappeared from her life. She stepped forward to make her presence known, to confirm that Emma maybe really should think about this once more, but what came out of her mouth was, “You did good work today, Dr. Swan.” 

Regina stopped in her tracks when she heard what had just come out of her own mouth, but apparently her rebellious heart wasn’t done overriding her brain. “On days like today, we all wonder if we’re in the right place, if we’re the right person for this job.” 

Emma turned to look up at her with wide green eyes. “And what is the conclusion you come to?” 

Regina let out a small sigh. “People die,” she said simply. “As harsh as that sounds, it’s a fact of life, especially in a trauma unit.” She took another step closer. “But a lot of people _didn’t_ die today because of us, because of _your_ work, _your_ ability to take a human heart in your hand and force it to beat another few minutes, and then a few more after that. This job is hard, Dr. Swan, but given time you could be great at it.” 

Emma’s eyes stayed on hers for several seconds, and Regina wondered if it was to judge her sincerity. She _had_ been sincere, though, and it made her question her sanity for a fleeting second. _It couldn’t really be that she liked having Emma around, could it? Not when Emma made her life a hundred percent more complicated._

Finally, Emma nodded once and closed her eyes, seemingly satisfied with what she found in Regina’s eyes. Regina stared at her a second longer, fighting her urge to ask Emma what she had seen in her eyes. To stop herself, she turned and quickly headed for the coffee pot. “Damn, I need coffee,” she declared, her voice a little louder than necessary. She poured a cup from the huge pot, then took a whiff of what she was about to ingest. “Does anyone have an idea when this coffee was made?” 

“I made a pot around 7:30 this morning,” Pete muttered while delivering a stack of files onto the table. “That’s probably still it.” 

“Urgh.” Regina threw the coffee in the sink with a look of disgust. “I’ll be on the roof,” she told her team. “If the trauma unit explodes within the next fifteen minutes, let me know.” She didn’t wait for a response before leaving with a sigh. She needed a moment away from Emma anyway. 

Emma’s eyes stayed on Regina until she was completely out of sight. Then she got up from the sofa and followed her out the door. “I need to make a phone call,” she said over her shoulder. “Be right back.” 

“Yeah, right,” Myka laughed as the door closed behind Emma. 

—*—*— 

When Emma returned fifteen minutes later, the break room was empty, so she made her way to the roof where she assumed everyone was. On the way she passed by Pete’s station and deposited her little gift at his place, hoping he’d return soon. 

She found Regina, Helena, and Myka sitting in deck chairs as close to the edge of the roof as they could. It was almost completely dark out by now — or as dark as a metropolis ever got — but the roof was illuminated by the red warning lights of the helipad above them, which gave everything a slightly eerie glow. 

As she got closer, Emma noticed that her team mates were just sitting in companionable silence, staring out over the water, enjoying the soft breeze. Myka’s hand rested on Helena’s arms and her fingers were moving in circles, while Helena’s hand rested on Myka’s leg. 

Regina was the first one to notice her presence. “Dr. Swan,” she greeted neutrally. 

“Hey, Emma,” Myka said, a lot more cheerfully than Regina. “I thought you’d gotten lost somewhere.” 

Emma laughed. “This place isn’t that big,” she said with a smile. “I told you I needed a few minutes.” 

“So you did,” Myka replied. 

“Full of secrets today, our lovely new doctor,” H.G. added and Emma could practically hear her smirking. 

“No big secret, H.G.,” Emma retorted, “and I’m definitely willing to share.” 

At that, all three women turned in their seat. “Oh?” 

“Yep,” Emma grinned and revealed the cardboard tray filled with coffee cups she had hidden behind her back. 

“Is that …?” Myka was the first to jump to her feet. 

“Ruby’s?” H.G. was right on her heels, one hand already reaching for the coffee. “How on earth did you manage to get her to deliver?” 

“Now _that_ is a secret I can’t reveal,” Emma replied with a wink, her eyes focusing on Regina who had remained in her seat but was looking at her with an unreadable expression on her face. “I might tell you later,” she told Myka and Helena over her shoulder, distracted by the look in Regina’s eyes. 

H.G. and Myka shared a look. “I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Myka muttered good-naturedly as she took H.G. by the hand and dragged her away. 

Neither Regina nor Emma really noticed, but Regina finally got up from her chair and stepped closer to Emma. “Is that really from Ruby’s?” she asked softly. 

“It is,” Emma confirmed, holding out a cup for Regina to take. “I thought we could all use some good coffee.” 

Regina took the cup and removed the lid to inhale deeply before taking her first long sip. She closed her eyes as the coffee hit her tastebuds and she let out a long, quiet moan that made Emma swallow. “Damn, this is so good,” Regina murmured, putting the lid back on. “I could kiss you right now.” 

Emma swallowed again, harder this time, wondering where all the moisture in her mouth had gone. “I wouldn’t say no to that,” she croaked, even though she could see from the look on Regina’s face that she was startled by her own words. “You know that.” 

“I know.” Regina’s voice was soft, contemplative. “And then what, Dr. Swan?” 

“Well, you could call me Emma for starters,” Emma replied, trying to keep the mood light so as not to scare Regina off. 

“And then?” Regina insisted. “Dinner? Followed by breakfast, presumably?” 

“A date, Regina,” Emma replied seriously. “That’s what I’ve wanted since I met you … a chance to make you see if this thing between us could develop into something more.” 

Regina finished her coffee before taking a deep breath. “Dr. Sw— _Emma_ , we’ve talked about this. No matter what w— _you_ might want, we can’t date … so even if I kissed you right now, nothing would come of it.” 

Emma perked up at Regina’s almost admission. She smiled widely and stepped closer to her boss. “You want to date me too,” she whispered with a touch of awe. “Regina, this is crazy … I want you and you want me—“ 

“I don’t,” Regina declared swiftly, but the protest died in her throat when she looked into Emma’s eyes, so open and vulnerable. “I wish you stopped looking at me like that,” she whispered, but she took a small step forward as if pulled by a magnet. 

Emma’s eyes wandered from Regina’s eyes to her lips and back, her hands curling into fists by her side. She didn’t notice when her empty coffee cup crumpled in her hand and the last dregs of the drink dribbled to the floor. She wanted to kiss Regina so badly she could feel the desire almost like a tangible being surrounding her, but she held back, wanting, _needing_ Regina to make the first move. “I can’t stop looking at you,” Emma finally murmured quietly. “I can’t even stop thinking about you.” 

Regina felt the words like a caress on her lips, and they tingled in response. “You’re trying to drive me crazy.” 

“Only in the best way.” 

“This is never going to work. There is no good way to be crazy,” Regina whispered, knowing she was lying. The kind of insanity Emma inspired in her was freeing just as much as it was worrying. 

Emma couldn’t take it anymore. “Dammit, Regina, kiss me already,” she growled. 

Regina leaned in to close the distance between them but jumped back a foot when Emma’s phone beeped loudly, interrupting their moment. 

“No, _no_ ,” Emma breathed, knowing instantly that the spell was irrevocably broken. “Fuck.” 

Regina turned away from her and looked out over the water, arms wrapped around herself. “You better check your messages, Dr. Swan,” she said to the ocean view. “It might be important.” 

Emma got very, very close to just throwing her phone off the roof in her frustration. She had been so close to feeling those lips on hers again. _So close._ Instead she took out her phone. “It’s from Ruby,” she told Regina. “Just making the sure we got the coffee.” She wasn’t going to tell Regina what Ruby’s message actually said: _I hope the coffee worked for you. Tell Regina if she won’t take you, I will. ;-)_

“Oh?” 

There was an odd inflection in Regina’s monosyllabic question. 

“Yeah,” Emma said simply. “She only agreed to deliver it as a favor to me, so she …” 

“Well, it seems that you and Ruby got very close in a very short time, if she’s already forgetting her principles for you,” Regina said darkly. “Makes me wonder what I missed this morning apart from the brazen display she put on for you when I arrived.” 

“Huh?” Emma was confused. “What display? Okay, so Ruby and I flirted a little, but that’s just part of business for her …” 

Regina closed her eyes. She had no idea what to do about the feelings churning in her gut. So what if Ruby and Emma had been flirting? It wasn’t like she had any right to Emma, not after telling her that there could never be anything between them. But why on earth did the thought hurt so damn much? She had to get away from here, away from Emma Swan. She chuckled darkly as she recognized the pattern. Apparently she was destined to run away from Emma Swan. “I have to go.” 

Emma watched helplessly for a few moments as Regina walked quickly across the roof before managing to get her own body moving after her. She caught up to Regina just as the elevator doors were closing behind the other woman. Confused and frustrated beyond belief, Emma banged her fist against the closed door before heading for the stairs, hating her life not for the first time that day. Maybe walking would help. 

About three floors into her long trek down to the trauma unit she got another text message, this time from Myka. 

_What are you doing this weekend? M._

Emma sat down on the stairs and rested her elbows on her legs to reply. She only noticed she was crying when a tear dropped onto the phone display. She wiped the tears off with angry, jerky motions before starting to type with both her thumbs. 

_Nothing special. Y?_

The reply came almost immediately. _Keep it free. We’re taking you down to the Keys. Hope you have a bikini_. 

Emma raised en eyebrow. A weekend away from the hospital, this new city and from constantly thinking about Regina might be a good thing. She quickly typed her reply and hit send. 

—*—*— 

“And?” H.G. asked as Myka’s phone beeped. 

“She’s coming,” Myka replied with a quick glance around to see if Regina was in the vicinity. “But I told her _we_ were taking her to the Keys.” 

“This could go very, very wrong, darling,” Helena pointed out with a small sigh. “It’s Regina’s cabin after all.” 

“Definitely,” Myka agreed. “Or it could go right, and doesn’t Regina deserve that?” 

“We can’t _make_ her be happy.” H.G. shook her head. “At some point she has to actually want it.” 

“And let it happen.” 

They looked at each other with matching expressions. “If she kills us both, I want to be buried with your family rather than mine,” H.G. finally said. 

“Deal.” 


	4. Episode 3 - Part 1: Coffee First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: see Chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: Well, here's another episode, or at least the first part of it. It turned longer and longer and I found a good place to split it, so I went with it. The good thing about that is that you a) get an update now and b) the next one shouldn't take too long either. :)
> 
> Thanks go to Arolac (letgo-ofcontrol) for help with Rosa's Spanish.
> 
> As always thank you for all the kudos, favorites, follows, comments and reviews. They make me happy. :)

**Episode 3 – Part 1: Coffee First**

On Friday morning Emma dragged herself into Ruby’s Diner a little before 11 in the morning, tired beyond belief. Originally, Myka’s plan had been to head down to the Keys after an early breakfast to make the most of their three-day off-period but that was before a late car crash on the causeway that included multiple vehicles fully loaded with passengers, among them four children. 

Myka, Helena and Emma had crawled out of the trauma center around 4am and had decided to push their trip back a few hours so they could get some sleep. 

As usual, Regina had still been at the hospital when the rest of the team had left, and Emma had to tell herself a few times not to be worried about her because it sure as hell wouldn’t be appreciated. Even now, her leg _still_ twitched for a second as she wondered if it would be totally pathetic to run over to the trauma center to check if their boss had left. 

“You look like roadkill, girl.” 

Ruby’s voice sounded way more amused than concerned, but she was bringing her coffee, so Emma was willing to forgive her as soon as at least some of the brew was inside her system. The coffee she’d had at home just to get out of bed and make it to the diner had long since vanished from her system. 

She held a hand out to stop further comments from Ruby. “Coffee first, insults later,” she mumbled while Ruby filled her mug with the dark, rich brew. 

“Wasn’t an insult, just an observation,” Ruby replied with a grin. “You sound like your boss when she’s suffering from caffeine withdrawal." She grinned unrepentantly. "She really didn't look much better than you when she crawled in here a couple of hours ago." 

Emma winced at Regina’s name, although she was relieved to know that her boss had left the hospital, hopefully to go home. “Still way too much blood in my coffee stream for this kind of conversation, Ruby.” 

“Uh-oh." Ruby saw the reaction to Regina on Emma's face, and unceremoniously plopped into the seat across from her. “I take it things aren’t going quite the way you want them to, huh?” she asked, a lot more serious now. “Did the coffee order the other day not help? Didn’t you tell her you practically begged me to deliver just so _she_ could have her caffeine fix with the best _cubano_ in Miami?” 

“I didn’t beg,” Emma grumbled. 

"The point is you _would_ have, if I hadn't given in so easily because I'm a sucker for sweet, sweet romance.” 

Emma decided not to argue the point and instead focused on her coffee. She still wasn't sure how everything had gone south so badly between her and Regina that evening a couple of days ago. One moment they had been _this_ close to kissing, and the next Regina had acted like Emma had slept with Ruby for five coffees and a delivery. 

Emma suddenly sat up straight as she thought back not only to _what_ Regina had said but _how_ she had said it. Emma had accused her of being jealous that night but that was meant more as a little jab than a serious question. But now that Emma thought about it ... 

"I think the delivery actually made things worse," Emma muttered, interrupting whatever Ruby was saying. Not that she had been listening anyway. 

"How can coffee make things worse with Regina? That woman _loves_ my coffee so much, she’d marry it if she could.” Ruby sounded completely bewildered. "And what do you mean by _worse_? What _is_ going on with you two anyway?" 

Emma met Ruby's eyes, which were serious and genuinely interested despite the rushed slew of questions. “I’m really not sure.” _And even if I were, I wouldn’t tell you. I’m sure Regina knows about 134 ways to kill me without anyone ever finding out._ “But could you maybe dial down on the flirting in the future?” 

Ruby laughed out loud. “With you or with Regina?” she asked, a knowing look in her eyes. “That’s it, isn’t it? Regina thinks there’s something going on between you and me because she saw us flirting and then I broke one of my cardinal rules for you …” 

Emma nodded miserably. 

“Emma, listen to me,” Ruby urged, a small smile playing around her lips. “No matter what you think right now, this is a good thing.” 

“How on earth can it be a good thing?” Emma asked. “She’s not even talking to me apart from the absolute minimum she has to for work.” 

“It’s a good thing because now you _know_ she likes you,” Ruby pointed out. “Just in case you weren’t sure before.” 

Emma blushed as she remembered just how _much_ Regina had liked her that first night when she hadn’t known who Emma was, and how they had expressed that mutual attraction again and again. 

And again. 

Ruby chuckled. “Okay, the look on your face says you knew damn well that she wants you. So why don't you do something about it?" 

“I’m trying, Ruby. I’m trying.” 

Ruby sat up and fixed Emma with a stare. “Do or do not,” she intoned in a strangled voice. “There is no try.” 

Emma came very close to tossing the rest of her coffee at the waitress, but couldn't bring herself to waste it. The expression on her face must have been very clear, however, as Ruby got up and left her table with an amused chuckle and a pat on Emma's shoulder. 

But only after refilling Emma's coffee. 

—*—*— 

"Why are we doing this again?" H.G. asked tiredly, barely managing to keep her eyes on the road. 

Myka chuckled and handed Helena her the almost-empty travel mug as they rolled to a stop at a traffic light. “Because I wanted another weekend away from the city and you were kind enough to indulge me?” 

H.G. finished her coffee before shooting Myka a grin. “Let me rephrase that question, darling. Why are we doing it _at this hour_?” 

“It’s not that early,” Myka replied around a laugh. “And _you_ wanted to beat the afternoon traffic.” 

Helena groaned but didn’t say anything else as she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. “There’s Emma,” she pointed out as if Myka couldn’t see her herself. “How bad of an idea is this whole setup?” 

“Potentially brilliant,” Myka sighed. “Also, potentially devastating.” 

“I just … I just want Regina to be happy,” H.G. murmured. “And this … _thing_ with Emma could be exactly what she needs to achieve that.” Her hands curled tighter around the steering wheel of her Range Rover. “After all the bloody bullshit that’s happened in her life, she deserves to be happy.” 

“More than anyone,” Myka agreed with a small sigh. “But she’s just as stubborn as you are, and I really hope she doesn’t take this the wrong way.” 

H.G. shot her a sardonic look. “May I remind you that this was your idea?” 

Myka shrugged. “Well, maybe I thought it was time we _both_ lived a little dangerously.” 

“Too bad I forgot to bring my vest and gun …” H.G. stopped the car and Myka called Emma over. “But if Regina asks, I’ll throw you to the wolves,” she added with a laugh. 

“Hey, you two, “ Emma greeted as she reached the car, now far more awake after several coffees. However, she still held tightly onto a cardboard tray that held three more large _cubanos_. “Man, you look about as tired as I feel.” She threw her duffel bag into the back seat, then climbed in after it and immediately shoved the coffee tray through the gap between the front seats. “Here, this should help.” 

“Oh, marvelous.” H.G. beamed and immediately replaced her empty travel mug with the fresh coffee. “Much appreciated, Emma.” 

“I _do_ recognize fellow caffeine addicts when I see them,” Emma replied with a smile. “So, where exactly are we going?” 

“The cabin is on one of the smaller Keys 20 miles or so south of Key Largo,” Myka explained. “It’s pretty secluded, a little piece of paradise. Very hard to find unless you know it's there." 

“Sounds great,” Emma said. “I can’t wait. After this week, I think a weekend away from the hospital and from Regina's attitude is exactly what I need.” 

Emma missed the way Myka and Helena flinched at her words and focused on their coffees instead of acknowledging her words. “Well, then,” H.G. finally said, after clearing her throat. “Shall we?” 

“Absolutely,” Emma said with a smile, attributing Myka's and Helena's sudden tense silence to lack of caffeine, but then she caught a look between them and wondered if there was something else going on between them. _Let's hope I didn't drop right into the middle of a fight ... that would make for an awkward weekend._ She was just about to suggest they forget about the trip when H.G. started the car and Myka turned around to face her. 

“We just have to make one more stop before we hit the road,” Myka mentioned casually while H.G. eased into the noon traffic. 

“Indeed,” H.G. agreed. “We're going to need more alcohol.” 

“Oh.” Emma looked up and raised an eyebrow, now really wondering what the hell she was missing. 

—*—*— 

Regina’s smile was bittersweet as she watched Henry get on the bus with all the other kids, some much older than him. He was already talking to a lanky girl, wide smile on his face as his tiny hands held onto his camera equipment. Regina had offered to carry the heavy bag onto the bus for him, but he had refused, making it clear in no uncertain terms that he was big enough to do it himself. 

Seems her little boy was growing up fast, and she felt a wave of misery hit her when she thought about how much of his childhood she was missing. She shook herself out of it when she saw Henry looking at her from inside the bus. He had found a seat by the window and had already gotten his Canon out of his bag. The camera looked so big in his tiny hands, but he was always careful with it and loved it to pieces, which is why Regina would never regret spoiling him by buying him only the best. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the money to spare anyway. 

Henry waved at her and raised his camera, making Regina smile in pure reflex. She saw him taking a few shots, presumably of her, so she smiled and waved back, mouthing _I love you_ to her son. 

She could see that he was rolling his eyes at her, but then he paused and surreptitiously looked around. When he was sure nobody was watching him, he looked back at her and mouthed _I love you, Mom_. 

Then the bus slowly rolled off the school parking lot and Regina wondered why her eyes were stinging. _Must be the early morning sun. Should have worn my sunglasses._ She briskly walked to her car, avoiding the other parents, and put on her aviators. 

The drive to the marina didn’t take too long at this hour and as soon as Regina set foot on her boat she felt the tension in her shoulders ease and a smile bloom on her face. She loved the water, being on it, being in it, the smell, the sound, everything about it. She climbed the few steps down into the main cabin to change, then readied the boat with practiced ease. Not twenty minutes later, she was slowly steering the _Rocinante_ through Government Cut and towards the open sea, wondering what the weekend would bring. 

She remembered the early morning talk with Rosa that she hadn’t been able to escape. The knowing eyes of the woman who had mostly raised her had bored into her, and soon enough Regina had found herself telling Rosa everything about Emma Swan. 

Well, almost everything. There were some details nobody but them needed to know. 

Parts of the conversation still stung, even hours later, but Regina didn’t regret hearing them, knowing that sometimes Rosa’s words provided a new perspective when her own thoughts were entirely too … unidirectional. 

_Rosa looked at her for a long moment after she had finished, long enough for Regina to feel uncomfortable under her stare. If there was one thing she hated, it was disappointing this woman, and Rosa looked_ a lot _like she was unhappy with her._

_“I am disappointed,” Rosa said, and Regina’s heart dropped. There it was._

_“I’m sorry,” she muttered, feeling like a teenager again, caught sneaking out for a party. “I know I shouldn’t have done it,” she added. “That’s why I stopped it.”_

_Rosa shook her head but there was a small smile playing around her lips which Regina didn’t notice. “Oh, my beautiful girl,” she tutted. “That’s not why I’m disappointed.”_

_“You’re not?”_

_“No, I’m disappointed because estás siendo estúpida,” Rosa had declared, speaking even more bluntly than she usually did._

_“Wha— Why?” Regina was surprised._ Irresponsible _she’d get, but_ stupid _?_

_“Did you know that your voice changes when you speak her name?” Rosa asked softly. “When you speak of her?”_

_Regina shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she scoffed._

_Rosa sighed. “Hija mía … when you speak of her, your voice is soft and mellow like when you’re talking about Henry,” she explained gently. “And there is a touch of molasses too, dark and … what is the word … gooey.”_

_“Gooey?” Regina chuckled uncomfortably. “I think you’re hearing things, Rosa,” she dismissed the thought. “Besides, how does that make me stupid?”_

_Rosa’s smile turned sad. “You are stupid because you’re risking something other people have to fight long and hard for.” It was the voice of experience and Regina recognized it as such. “You are stupid because you’re running away from someone who could make your life beautiful.”_

_Regina blinked a few times to get the stinging feeling from her eyes. “My life_ is _beautiful,” she insisted. “I have Henry and you and daddy, and my work and my friends …”_

_“And we all love you, but we can’t fill that void in your heart,” Rosa replied, pressing her right hand against Regina’s chest. “Not completely, not that part that only awakens for that special someone.”_

_Regina sighed. “It’s too complicated.” However, she didn’t deny that Rosa was right._

_Rosa laughed. “You are talking to_ me _about love being complicated?” She took Regina’s hand in hers. “As if I don’t know? Look at me and tell me I don’t know_ complicated _.”_

_Regina stared at their joined hands, but words failed her. Rosa was right, there were love stories that were so much more complicated. “But Emma and I … we’re not … I’m not … I_ can’t _be in love with her. I hardly even_ know _her.”_

_Rosa’s eyes studied her for a long moment. “Are you sure about that, corazón? Because your voice tells another story.” She got up and busied herself around the kitchen to give Regina some space. “As for not knowing her …,” she couldn’t help continue after a moment. “You can always change that. Of course that would mean you’d have to stop running away from her for five minutes …”_

Regina gripped the wheel tighter as she opened the throttle and increased the boat’s speed until the wind blew her hair all around her face and cleared her head. 

She had a lot to think about. 

—*—*— 

Emma wasn't sure what she had expected but it sure as hell wasn't _this_. "Didn't you say something about a _cabin_?" she asked Myka when the log structure by the waterfront came into view. “I imagined something a little … smaller.” 

Myka and H.G. both chuckled. "Well, let's just say it's not your run-of-the-mill one-room cabana," Myka said around a smile. "It's not that huge, but it's very comfortable and has a few nice amenities." 

Emma whistled softly. "No wonder you spent your vacation here." She got out of the car as soon as it stopped and looked around curiously. "Thanks for taking me out here this weekend." 

"No problem," Myka said. "Come on, let's go inside." 

The door to the cabin opened to a large main room with an open kitchen. One wall had two huge windows that allowed a nice view of the cove and the small beach area. On one side Emma could see a small group of palm trees and on the other side a narrow pier extended far into the water. She was so immersed in the view that she didn't even notice Myka coming up behind her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" 

Emma nodded. "Very," she agreed. "So ... relaxing. I haven't even been here ten minutes, and I can already feel the stress flowing right out of me." She turned to face Myka. "Thank you again." 

Myka only grinned and held up a large duffel bag with one hand. "It's going to get even better," she hinted mischievously. “Come with me.” 

Emma found Myka’s grin contagious and returned it easily as she followed the other woman out the door. On the porch, they ran into H.G. who was busy carrying their bags inside. Myka pressed a kiss to her cheek and hefted the big bag as if that explained what they were up to. H.G. laughed and disappeared inside the cabin. 

“Isn’t Helena coming?” Emma asked. 

“She’ll be outside in a second,” Myka replied with a shrug. “She wants to make a phone call first.” 

—*—*— 

“Hey,” H.G. said when her call was answered after the third ring. “I was afraid I wouldn’t reach you. Where are you?” 

Regina grinned into her board phone. “I decided to take the long way down,” she laughed, “but now I’m anchored off Biscayne Bay, so I could take a long nap and go for a swim.” 

“Swimming only, I hope,” H.G. warned. “I’m in no mood to have to drag you out of the water today because you went for a solo dive. Again.” 

The silence at the other end of the line was telling. “Regina,” H.G. groaned. “You promised not to do that. It’s too bloody dangerous.” 

Regina sighed. “I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember, Helena,” she replied with not a small amount of exasperation. “I only went down for ten minutes anyway, so don’t you dare nag me when I see you later.” 

H.G. shook her head, letting it go. “Any idea when you’ll be down here?” 

Regina checked her diving watch. “It’s so nice out on the water today and I’m sure you won’t mind having a day with Myka alone,” she thought aloud. “I thought I’d be there in time for dinner … about six or seven maybe.” 

“Great!” H.G. wondered if she should warn Regina about Emma, but she didn’t want to take the risk of Regina going straight back to Miami. “We can fire up the grill then … well, Myka can.” 

Regina laughed and ended the call. 

H.G. tapped her phone against her chin thoughtfully as she stared out the window at Emma and Myka. _Please don’t hate me for this, old friend._

—*—*— 

The bag, Emma realized once Myka opened it by the group of palm trees, held two large hammocks that they quickly attached to the hooks provided for that purpose in the palm trees. 

Emma sighed deeply as she stretched out in one of them, eyes resting on the sea. Suddenly she squinted and tried to look a little closer. There it was again, the splash and the fin she thought she’d seen. “Myka,” she whispered, although she didn’t know why. “Is that …?” 

Myka sat up a little in her hammock and followed Emma’s line of sight. “Yep,” she grinned. “Dolphin. We call him Trailer … he lives around here and we always joke that he keeps an eye on the place. Wanna go swim with him?” 

Emma’s jaw dropped. “You can swim with dolphins here?” 

Myka smiled at the wide-eyed look of joyful expectation on Emma’s face. “Well, I don’t know about dolphins in general, but Trailer’s always up for a nice swim around the cove.” 

“Damn,” Emma breathed. “This is as close to paradise as I’ve ever seen. All that’s missing is—“ She stopped herself before she revealed too much. _And why was she thinking of Regina again anyway? Now, here? When she had wanted to be away from her for the weekend?_

Myka watched Emma surreptitiously, not needing to think too hard to fill in the gaps of what or better who was missing according to Emma. _Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. First things first, though._ “Let’s get in the water, Swan!” 

And when Emma pulled off her t-shirt and knee-length cargo shorts to reveal a toned body in a black sports bikini, Myka silently congratulated Regina on her self-control. How could she resist Emma after having not only seen but touched _that_ body? 

—*—*— 

Regina swam lazily back to her boat after another short and shallow late-afternoon dive that she wouldn’t be telling H.G. and Myka about. Pennecamp State Park offered so much for even a casual dive that she often went there when she wanted to be underwater but not risk a long dive without a partner. She climbed up the ladder and grabbed a towel. 

Now that diving wasn’t requiring her attention, Rosa’s words came back loud and clear, poking at her, prodding her to think about them. Trying to stall for just a little bit longer, she grabbed an energy bar and a bottle of water from the galley, then went to sit down at the bow of the boat, back against the cabin. 

She tried to analyze her feelings and anxieties like she would a patient in her trauma unit, separating major issues from minor ones, figuring out how to save the patient. She knew she had never been as attracted to somebody as quickly as she had been to Emma, had never even thought it was possible to feel this connected to somebody after a couple of hours in a bar. She remembered waking up that morning with the bitter taste of disappointment on her tongue at finding herself alone, which told her more about her feelings for Emma than anything else. And then, of course, there was the comment Rosa had made about her voice and what it supposedly revealed. 

Regina knew that Emma had been right: if work weren’t an issue, she would date her in a heartbeat, hoping they could build something from their one night together. That thought gave Regina pause. If she could honestly say she’d love to go out with Emma if she were anything but a doctor on her team, then how much of an issue should her job really be? 

How much of an _excuse_ should she allow it to be? Well, apart from possibly getting fired for sleeping with someone on her team, not that _that_ didn't happen all over every hospital she had ever seen from the inside. Still, she held herself to a higher standard than that. The question was, in the end, if she should let her principles stand in the way of her happiness. 

Regina’s sigh was lost in the wind that was picking up now. All of her decisions were moot anyway if Emma had changed her mind and decided that Ruby would be the much better option. Less trouble, less baggage. 

An endless stream of really good coffee. 

Regina bit her bottom lip as her heart gave a slight twinge, unaware that only a few nautical miles away, Emma was equally busy thinking about _her_ . 

—*—*— 

H.G. nudged Myka lightly with her shoulder. “What do you think she’s thinking about?” 

Myka followed H.G. gaze as she snuggled into her side. Emma was in one of the hammocks, her eyes fixed on the horizon, but Myka was quite certain she wasn’t really seeing anything. “With that look on her face? Regina.” 

H.G. chuckled. “Definitely.” She turned Myka away from the window and kissed her softly, but thoroughly. “We’re focusing too much on our friends’ love live, and too little on our own,” she mentioned between teasing kisses before deepening the contact again. 

Myka pressed herself against her wife’s body, moaning a little when H.G.’s tongue traced the sensitive spot on the inside of her upper lip. “Tease,” she whispered. “We don’t have time.” 

H.G. sighed but kept a close hold on Myka. “I know, darling, I know.” She pressed her lips against Myka’s forehead. “Tonight.” 

“Really?” Myka asked, eyebrow raised. “With Emma right next door?” 

“I think the lovely Doctor Swan should sleep on Regina’s boat tonight,” H.G. stated. “I don’t want you to hold back when I make love to you.” 

“As if I’m the only one who can get loud,” Myka teased, knowing full well that she was indeed the louder of the two. “And how do you think we’ll get Regina to let Emma on board?” 

“That’s where the tequila comes in,” H.G. said around a smirk. “I suggest we play some games tonight … games that might get them to reveal some things and allow them to get to know each other better.” 

“Are you really suggesting we play drinking games?” 

“Oh, I think drinking should definitely be a part of it,” H.G. replied with a mysterious smile. “Just play along when the time comes.” 

“I will,” Myka promised. “But if either of them tosses us to the sharks, I’m going to blame—“ 

Myka never got to finish her thought. Returning H.G.’s fierce kiss was so much more important anyway. 

“I thought we didn’t have time,” Myka gasped against H.G.’s lips when the kiss got more and more heated. 

“We make time,” H.G. purred, moving her mouth to Myka’s neck, aiming for the spot that drove her wife wild. “There’s always time for a quickie, darling.” 

“It’s never a quickie with us, though.” Myka moaned when H.G. found the spot she had been looking for. “I love when you do that,” she breathed, leaning her head to the side to offer more of her neck to H.G., which her wife rewarded by nipping softly with her teeth, not caring if she left a mark. 

“Bedroom,” Myka groaned. “Now.” She began moving in the direction of their room, never letting their bodies part more than an inch or two. Her eyes were fixed on her goal, and the second they stumbled through the door and threw it shut, her eyes closed with a blissful moan. 

H.G. maneuvered them towards the bed and onto it, rolling and scrambling until they were both securely on its surface. She wasted no time removing Myka’s thin t-shirt, and the bikini top she wore underneath followed quickly. 

Myka worked feverishly on her wife’s clothes at the same time. The vest was easy enough to remove but the buttons on her shirt proved difficult for fingers that were trembling with excitement. She was close to just ripping it open when the last button finally gave, allowing her to push the shirt off her shoulders, trapping Helena's arms in the process. 

Myka grinned evilly at the offered opportunity and pushed H.G. onto her back. “Now I’ve got you,” she growled softly, running her hands all over H.G.’s torso, as always paying homage to the scars, some old, some new. 

Helena chuckled breathlessly. “And what are planning to do with me, now that you have me lying before you, utterly defenseless?” 

“Defenseless, right,” Myka snorted. “If you wanted, you could krav maga me clear across the room before I could even blink.” She leaned down to lick a trail from H.G.’s belly button to her clavicle. “But since you’re offering yourself up so very nicely, I think I’m going to … devour you.” 

H.G. groaned at the words and her hips pushed up without a conscious thought. “Please, darling.” 

“But you have to be quiet,” Myka reminded teasingly. “Emma is out there somewhere.” 

Helena didn’t care one bit about what Emma would or wouldn’t hear, but she nodded nonetheless. “Don’t tease, darling,” she pleaded. 

“Don’t worry,” Myka promised. “Not right now … but I can’t promise anything for tonight.” 

She removed H.G.’s pants and panties without much fanfare, then settled between her legs and pressed kisses up each thigh to where H.G. needed her to be. 

“Tease … ooh.” H.G. groaned as Myka’s tongue finally made contact with her center, softly licking up and down, flicking against her entrance again and again but with no discernible rhythm, just doing what she felt like. 

It was driving H.G. insane. “So good,” she moaned, one hand flying to the back of Myka’s head to keep her in place, but not pushing her no matter how much she wanted to. Myka began kissing her core like she normally did her mouth, all rhythmic movements of lips and tongue and the occasional gentle nip. H.G. felt herself climb higher and higher, but she needed more. “Darling, please … please …” 

Myka breathed against her wife’s core, the sensation making H.G. twitch and her hips cant up. Her tongue traced upwards until her lips could close around H.G.’s clit where she sucked gently one moment, then flicked her tongue rapidly against the nub the next. H.G.’s grip in her hair tightened to an almost painful degree as she got closer to her climax. 

When Myka felt H.G. tense, heard her breath changing cadence, she took her clitoris in her mouth and sucked while pushing two fingers into her, feeling them gripped hard immediately by clenching muscles. She pushed her fingers in hard, once, twice, flicking the clit with the tip of her tongue, until she felt H.G.’s whole body clench and come with a shout that was abruptly muffled when H.G. pulled a pillow over her own face. 

Myka slowed her fingers and ran the flat of her tongue soothingly along her wife’s center to gently guide her down from her high. Her own center throbbed, wet and swollen, aching to be touched, and she pressed it into the bedspread to get some friction against the seam of her shorts. 

“My God, Myka,” H.G. rasped when her breath had slowed down to a more normal pace. “That was wonderful.” She tensed her hand in Myka’s hair and guided her upwards, needing to kiss her now. “I love you,” she mumbled against her wife’s lips, enjoying her own taste on Myka’s lips. After a few minutes of lazy kissing, she pushed Myka onto her back, then leaned over her with a wide grin. “My turn now.” 

Myka groaned as she felt her core throb harder at those words. “Please, Helena,” she groaned, trying to push H.G. where she needed her. “I need you … please … I need your mouth on me.” 

“Gladly.” 

—*—*— 

Emma tried to focus on her book but her thoughts went to Regina again and again. She shook her head with a smile as she started to swing the hammock from side to side. Maybe it was a good idea that it was dinner time soon, or at least that’s what Myka had hollered from the doorway of the cabin a minute ago. 

At least now Emma knew that it was safe to go back inside the cabin. The last time she had tried she had walked in on Myka and H.G. kissing passionately, so wrapped up in each other that they never even realized that Emma had been there. She had walked back out as quickly and as quietly as she could and had resigned herself to an afternoon of reading by herself but had been unable to focus on her book. Instead of the words on the page she saw Regina’s smile and when she closed her eyes she more than just her smile in her mind’s eye. The muffled sounds coming from the cabin definitely hadn’t helped either. 

Her eyes strayed from the page once more to watch the ocean, surprised when there was a new sight catching her attention. _Was that a yacht in the distance?_ She kept watching the large boat as it came closer and closer, wondering who would know about this place apart from them. Then she figured that the cabin was probably rented for the weekend and that the owner might come to check that everything was okay. 

She thought about letting Myka and H.G. know but couldn’t bring herself to move. Instead she sank deeper into hammock and curiously watched the boat as it docked. A slight figure in what looked like a half wetsuit climbed down onto the pier carrying a small bag. 

When the figure turned around, Emma’s heart skipped a beat. Even from this distance there was no mistaking Regina Mills, even with disheveled hair and barefoot. 

She watched as Regina walked towards the cabin, not once looking left or right, and disappeared inside. Emma struggled out of the hammock to follow her, too curious to see what she was doing here to wonder about why on earth she had arrived on a 50-foot yacht. 


	5. Episode 3 - Part 2: Truth or Tequila

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just borrowed them to show them a good time.
> 
> A/N: OK, so it looks like I might have lied when I said I split episode 3 into two parts ... it now looks like it's going to be three. It's the episode that refuses to end apparently. That unfortunately means that those among you who are also waiting for an update of _Hide and Seek_ will have to wait a little while longer, and I apologize for that. Right now there's only time for updates to one story (why do we have to work for a living? why?), and _Trauma Team_ occupies my thoughts a little bit more these days. 
> 
> Anyway, there's lots of talking, some awkwardness, alcohol, and stupid games. And the final part of the episode should be up soon. Ish.
> 
> A/N 2: Thank you for all your comments, reviews, faves, and follows; they're very much appreciated. I always like to hear what you think.

**Episode 3 – Part 2: Truth or Tequila**

“Hey, Regina,” Myka said cheerfully, hair still wet from the shower she had just taken after her spontaneous romp with her wife. She craned her head to see if Emma was behind their boss. 

“Hello, Myka.” Regina saw the wet hair and the flush on Myka’s fair skin, and smirked. “Enjoying yourself and the cabin?” she drawled. “And Helena, I presume?” 

When Myka didn’t immediately reply and kept looking over Regina’s shoulder, she turned around but there was nobody there. “Am I missing something?” she wanted to know. 

“Nah, nothing,” Myka lied. “Good to see you. I was just getting started on dinner.” 

Regina shrugged away the strange feeling Myka’s behavior had caused. _Maybe she and Helena had had a fight and Helena had stormed off?_ “Where’s your wife?” 

“Oh, she’s finishing up in the bathroom.” Myka pointed in the direction of the bedroom she and her wife had chosen. “You know how she is with her hair …” 

“All right.” Regina held up her back and pointed at the wetsuit she was wearing. “I’ll use the other room to shower and change then.” 

She walked into the second bedroom but stopped in her tracks when she saw an open duffel bag sitting in the middle of the bed, some items strewn haphazardly half in and half out. “Myka,” she called out without turning around, still staring at the unfamiliar bag. “Is this one of your bags?” 

“No, it's mine,” a very familiar, yet entirely unexpected voice said quietly from the doorway. 

Regina whirled around. “Doctor Swan,” she gasped. “What are you doing here?” 

Emma held up her hands in an almost defensive position. “Hi, Regina,” she said as calmly as she could with the way her heart was racing in her chest. “Before you start yelling at me … I really had no idea,” she tried to explain. “I was just as surprised to see you as you are to see me. I just don’t know if it’s a good surprise or a bad surprise yet …” 

“Neither do I,” Regina sighed into the middle of Emma’s nervous rambling, which she found annoyingly adorable. “Myka?” she drawled, arms crossed in front of her chest. “Care to explain this?” 

Emma walked further into room to allow Myka’s nervous face around the doorjamb, followed by H.G.’s determined one. “We thought … well, we figured a weekend away from the hospital would allow you to get to know each other better.” 

“And since you clearly wouldn’t just go away together, we decided to … let’s just say, we thought you needed some help with that,” H.G. added calmly. “Frankly, working with you two this past week was both amazing and absolutely, staggeringly annoying.” 

Regina raised an eyebrow at the blunt comments. “Doctor Swan and I were nothing but professional this past week despite the rather difficult situation.” 

H.G. snorted. “Regina, you know I love you, but it’s not professional to avoid a new member of your team at all costs, especially if it’s a resident who is supposed to learn from you, on top of saving lives.” 

Regina took a breath to hold in the sharp response sitting at the tip of her tongue. She knew Helena had a point, but she wasn’t going to admit that. “You’re a fellow,” she pointed out, managing not to sound defensive. “That’s why I paired her with you.” 

“And I like working with Emma,” H.G. replied, “but that’s not the point.” 

“You two need to talk,” Myka added. “You need to get to know each other … need to learn to be around each other, and you’re going to start this weekend.” 

“So that’s what all that alcohol is for,” Emma remarked with a small grin, not completely averse to the idea of getting drunk together and trying to get behind Regina's sky-high defenses. 

Regina shot her a look before focusing back on Myka and H.G. “So … what? You’re going to get us drunk and then we’re going to braid our hair and share our innermost thoughts?” she scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.” 

“I’m not sure this is such a good idea,” Emma ventured after seeing Regina’s reaction. “Look, I’m the obvious outsider here, so why don’t we have a nice, civilized dinner and then I call a cab or something and go home.” 

“Not going to happen,” Myka dismissed the gesture. “We invited you down here, and you’re staying.” 

“You invited her to _my_ cabin,” Regina remarked mildly. “Shouldn’t _I_ be the one to decide who stays and who goes?” 

“This is _your_ cabin?” Emma gasped before turning accusing eyes on Myka and H.G. who shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. 

“Feel free to send Emma back to Miami,” H.G. said, still incredibly calm and collected. She had years of experience in dealing with Regina and her defensive strategies. “Myka and I will take her back in our car, and you can enjoy your weekend down here. Alone.” 

It was a low blow, no matter how mildly it was phrased and, judging by the apologetic look that entered her eyes almost immediately, H.G. knew it. With Henry away for the weekend, Regina wasn’t just alone, she was _lonely_ , and no amount of pleasure on the water or a stay at the cabin for a whole weekend would change that. If the three of them left, H.G. knew Regina wouldn’t stay either. She’d probably just go home to do some paperwork. 

Regina gave H.G. a dirty look that revealed the war raging inside her, until she finally sighed, resigning herself to the situation. “Well, I promised you two a weekend at the cabin, and a weekend you shall get,” she muttered darkly. “Or at least one night ... I won’t guarantee more than that.” With that she disappeared in the bathroom and started the water for her shower, while the other three retreated back into the main room. 

“How mad is she really?” Emma asked H.G. who looked deep in thought. 

“Quite a bit,” H.G. admitted. “But her problem is with me now, not you.” 

“Because of what you said?” Emma was confused because it really hadn’t sounded bad at all, but Regina had flinched as if she has been slapped. “About you going back with me?” 

H.G. nodded and swallowed, another sign that she wasn’t nearly as calm as she pretended to be about pushing Regina this far. Myka wrapped an arm around her wife’s waist and patted her flat stomach with her free hand. “It’s a long story, but yeah, Helena just poked at an already very sore spot.” 

Emma felt lost again, which wasn’t at all unusual around these people she spent so much time with these days. She decided to change the subject, given that she had no idea how to navigate any potential mine fields without expert help. _Maybe she should call the UNO and ask for a mine detector._ “You really couldn’t have told me this was Regina’s place?” she asked plaintively. “Not even once we were down here and I had no means of escape?” 

“Does it really matter? Do you really mind being here with her and us?” Myka asked, genuinely concerned. “I got a little worried when you complained about Regina’s attitude on the way down here, but seriously … do you really mind spending time in her presence? Because I don’t think you do.” 

Emma shook her head. “As long as she doesn’t blame me for this … not really, no,” she admitted. “I know I said I needed some time away from her but now that she's here ... I'm pretty happy to see her, even if it's a little awkward." She ran her hand through her hair, making a mental note to take a shower before dinner and get the salt water out. _Too bad I can’t just join Regina …_ ”Here’s the thing, I never made it a secret that I want to get to know her better, and whatever you two have in mind might help, so I'm game ... but, you know ... be nice to Regina, okay? I don’t want to see her hurt just because you felt the need to meddle in our lives.” 

Myka hummed under her breath as she turned back to their dinner preparations, smiling softly to herself. But inside she was praying to any deity within hearing distance that this weekend wouldn’t ruin everything. 

For all of them. 

—*—*— 

Dinner was relatively silent, and about as unpleasant as Myka had feared with attempts at conversation barely going beyond hospital talk and compliments on the perfectly grilled salmon that Myka had conjured up for them. 

When the last plate was cleared, Emma quickly volunteered to do the dishes to escape the table and was soon joined, utterly surprisingly, by Regina. 

“Not a word,” her boss muttered too low for anyone else to hear. “Right now I’m just slightly less mad at you than them.” 

Emma nodded. “Can I ask why you’re mad at me at all?” She tried to look into Regina’s eyes to gauge her mood, but the other woman focused on drying the dishes. “I really had no idea this was your cabin, or that you would be here,” she explained once more in a whisper. “I’m sorry this was such a horrible surprise for you.” 

“I know,” Regina replied softly. Then she was quiet for so long that Emma began to suspect she wouldn’t get an answer, before murmuring something inaudible. 

“What was that?” Emma asked, leaning closer, but not too close, fully aware of Regina’s boundaries and Myka’s and H.G.’s eyes on them. 

“I said I’m mad at you because you complicate my life,” Regina repeated evenly. “And I really like my life simple. I can’t have chaos at work _and_ in my life.” 

“I can understand that.” Emma handed Regina the next plate. “Up to a certain degree, I guess.” She shook her head. “It was never my intention to make your life more stressful than it already is but … I can’t help it. I really like you.” 

Regina decided not to ask if _like_ was all it was because she wasn’t ready for the answer she thought she could sometimes see in Emma’s eyes. When she wasn’t flirting with Ruby, that was. “If you _like_ me and don’t want me to be stressed, why are you …” She stopped herself from asking about Ruby. “Forget it, it doesn’t matter.” 

Just then, Regina’s phone rang and she dug it out of the khaki shorts she had changed into. When she saw who it was, her whole face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Henry, my darling,” she greeted the caller, causing Emma’s eyebrows to jump up to her hairline. “How is your weekend, dear?” A pause as the person on the other end spoke and Regina swiftly walked into the bedroom she had used to shower. “I wish you were here at the cabin with me, but—” 

The door closed behind Regina, cutting off whatever she was saying, leaving Emma to stare after her, wondering who the hell this Henry guy was. Was he the reason that she was making Regina’s life more complicated? Was she in a relationship? Nah, Myka or Helena would have told her, that much she knew in her gut. A fuck buddy then? Someone even her friends didn’t know about? That didn’t sound like Regina either, but then again she hardly knew the woman. But with the way her face lit up and her voice went all soft, it really didn’t sound like a simple friend with benefits … it screamed _feelings_. Emma took a calming breath in an attempt to stave off the swirling tendrils of jealousy that were twisting her insides, but it didn’t help much. 

Emma was just about to ask Myka and Helena who the fuck this Henry was when the bedroom door opened and Regina returned, a radiant smile on her face that looked only slightly tinged with what looked like melancholy. _Fuck, she even really seems to miss that guy._

Emma decided to swallow her questions and doubts and just continue their conversation, but the rest of the dishes went ignored. If Regina’s life was made so complicated by her … and possibly this _Henry_ , maybe she should do what she had sworn not to do and cut her losses. She took a moment to study Regina’s face, then just went for a blunt, “Would you like me to leave Miami Trauma? Is that what it would take to make your life easier? For me to disappear from it?” She'd have to find another resident somewhere willing to switch with her at the drop of a hat since returning to Seattle was out of the question as long as her stalker was still there. 

Regina bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from blurting out her immediate reaction. _Easier yes, but also far less … invigorating and interesting._ She hadn’t felt this alive in years, but that wasn’t something to share with Emma, at least not yet. 

Regina gave the question some serious thought, sensing that Emma was at a point where she might actually leave if she asked her to. Finally, she shook her head, to her own as well as Emma’s surprise. “I don’t want you to leave,” she whispered, sounding a little pained, either by the thought or by having to admit it. “You’re a good surgeon, Doctor Swan, and you could have a bright future in trauma. I can’t in good conscience ruin that for you nor can I deprive the team or the hospital of an asset.” She paused. “Besides, someone with your potential should learn from the best,” she added after a moment. “And I’m just vain enough to think that’s me.” 

Emma’s eyes widened as she realized the implications of what Regina had just said. “Does that mean you’re going to stop ignoring me? I get to actually work with you? At least sometimes?” she asked, hope shining from her eyes. “Because I would really, really like to learn from the youngest trauma chief in the country. I heard she’s pretty damn awesome.” 

Emma gave Regina a wide grin and waggled her eyebrows so comically that Regina didn’t have it in her heart not to return a small smile of her own. 

It was a start. 

—*—*— 

Emma took one look at the two bottles of tequila on the table and chuckled. “Are you trying to get us wasted for some reason?” 

H.G. smiled. “That depends entirely on you, Swan,” she replied. “Play nice and be honest, and you won’t have to drink … much. Flout the rules and … well …” At Emma’s doubtful look, she added, “Don’t worry, we’ll carry your sorry behind to a bed should you be completely incapacitated later.” 

Everyone laughed in a way that told Emma that something like that probably had happened before, and she wondered if this was some kind of initiation rite. “Does every new team member have to go through this?” 

H.G. chuckled as she sat down at the table. “You make it sound as if it’s a chore to spend time with us.” 

“Eh,” Emma said, waggling her hand. “Maybe I’m just waiting to be honeyed and feathered and put out into some hallway for all the world to see.” 

The other three stared at her. “Jesus, what kind of college did you go to?” Helena finally breathed. 

Emma didn’t have it in her heart to tell them that this had happened in one of the group homes she had stayed in. “So you don’t invite every newbie down here to get them drunk and—” 

Myka quickly shook her head. “No, you’re the first person we want to get to know enough to do this.” 

Regina nodded, just a little reluctantly, not sure why she felt the need to explain further and make Emma feel better. “You’re the first person outside the three of us who has ever been down here, or who knows that I have this cabin down here. Well, Pete also knows, but he’s never been here with us. He likes to come down here alone.” 

“How come you have this amazing place anyway? Not to mention that boat out there?” Emma asked, but her tone made it clear that she was curious more than prying. 

“Birthday presents,” Regina replied with a shrug. “My father is a very generous man.” 

“Nice presents.” Emma smiled, no judgement in her voice, although inside she wondered who exactly her boss was. Or better, who her father was. From what she had seen of Regina so far she never would have expected her to be someone who grew up with a silver spoon. “The best present _I_ ever got was a stuffed dog that still had two of its legs attached to it.” _Shut up, Swan. There you go again with your maudlin comments. What’s up with that today?_

The three others stared at her, so Emma did what she always did and tried to shift the attention back on someone else. “So your family has money, eh?” 

Myka saw how uncomfortable Emma was getting and decided to help her out. “Say, do you drink orange juice in the morning, Emma?” 

Emma wondered at the non sequitur, but nodded. “Doesn’t everybody?” 

“What brand?” H.G. added with a smile. 

Emma narrowed her eyes. “Whatever’s available usually.” She shrugged. “I even bought that overpriced Mills Organic Orchard stuff the other day …” She trailed off as she saw Myka and Helena grinning, and her brain rapidly connected the dots. “Mills? That’s _you_?” 

Regina nodded with a slight eye roll. She hated being asked about the family business but she also knew Emma would have found out sooner or later anyway. “My father, yes.” 

Emma could see that Regina was uncomfortable and searched her brain for something she could say. “Hey, I read in the paper that your family has this charity for underprivileged kids?” 

Regina held her breath, waiting to hear what other things about her family Emma might have stumbled upon in the press, but when she remained quiet, Regina relaxed and exhaled slowly. “Like I said, my father is a generous man,” she muttered with a shrug, and everyone recognized the end of that topic for now. 

“Are we going to play now?” Myka asked into the silence. 

“Absolutely! It’s time for Truth or Tequila,” H.G. beamed. 

Regina groaned loudly. “I should have known you’d resort to that,” she grumbled. “You love playing that juvenile game. How often do I need to remind you that we’re not teenagers anymore?” 

“Until it sinks in, I presume,” H.G. replied unrepentantly. “Hasn’t happened yet.” 

“Truth or Tequila? As in Truth or Dare? Are you serious right now?” Emma asked suspiciously. “I haven't played that since freshman year in med school." She bit her bottom lip as she thought about the things that might come out during a game like that. "Isn’t that game a little unfair on me, though? You three have known each other for ages,” Emma complained. “I’m totally at a disadvantage here.” 

To her surprise, Regina chuckled. “Believe me, I’m really not a fan of this, and I’m only playing along to appease my troublemaking friend over there but … the fact that we hardly know anything about you actually makes this pretty safe for you.” 

“We all know the others’ weak spots, Swan,” H.G. added, “and we’re not known for pulling our punches.” That much had been proven during the earlier argument between Helena and Regina. 

Emma swallowed as she met Regina’s eyes, trying hard not to think about the fact that her comment about birthday presents and hazings might have opened up a big weak spot of hers, too. “I guess we have to do this then?” she asked with a sigh. 

“I guess so.” Regina turned to Myka. “Start cutting the fruit, Myka. I think we should start this off with a drink.” 

While Myka started slicing limes and oranges and Regina picked a seat at the table, Emma turned to H.G. “So, you mentioned rules?” 

H.G. finished filling a bowl with salt and a bowl with cinnamon and placed both of them in the center of the table before adding two bottles of tequila, — one clear, one a lovely golden shade — next to them. "Well, it _is_ Truth or Dare," she said, lining up shot glasses, two for each of them, before looking up at Emma. "However, we mostly play for truths because there's only so many interesting dares that you can come up with." 

Emma shrugged as she sat in the last remaining chair, across from Regina. "Why not just play 20 questions then?” 

“Because while we might have a preference for going with the truth, you _can_ choose to do a dare if you don’t want to answer a question, but it’ll cost you,” Myka added, pointing at the bottles on the table. 

“If you switch to dare after hearing your question, you have to down a shot _and_ do a dare,” H.G. continued. “And dares can’t be refused, no matter what.” 

“Sounds fair enough,” Emma said with a grin. 

“Great!” Myka took the remaining seat and grinned at all of them in turn. “So, Emma, salt or cinnamon?” 

Emma stared at her for a moment. “Er … cinnamon?” 

Regina smirked. “Is that a question or your choice?” 

“Who on earth has cinnamon with their tequila?” 

H.G. and Myka raised their hands. “It’s delicious,” Myka replied. “Feel free to try it, but you really don’t have to.” Emma watched as Myka took a shot glass, licked the rim, then pressed the glass upside down into the cinnamon. The cinnamon stuck to the glass, which she then filled with the golden tequila. H.G. followed suit while Regina licked her hand and sprinkled salt on it, then filled her glass from the other bottle. Emma hesitated for a moment, then followed Regina’s example, earning herself a grin from the other three. 

“To the best trauma team the hospital has ever seen,” H.G. toasted before licking the rim and downing her shot, before biting into an orange slice. Everyone else did the same, slamming their glasses on the table afterwards. 

“So …” Myka drawled. “I guess Emma should start.” 

Emma thought for a moment, then turned to H.G. “Truth or dare, Helena?” 

“Truth,” H.G. replied quickly. “In fact, assume I’ll always pick truth until I say otherwise.” 

Emma nodded. “How long have you known each other?” She pointed between Regina and Helena, adding Myka as an afterthought. 

“Really?” Myka snorted. “You get first pick and you go with _that_?” 

“We should make you take a shot just for choosing the lamest question ever,” H.G. added. “Anyway, Regina and I met when we were teenagers many, many years ago …” 

“It wasn’t _that_ long ago,” Regina muttered. 

“Nineteen years, Regina. Feels like an eternity though,” Helena shot back with a wink. “Our parents sent us to the same boarding school in Switzerland and the rest is history.” 

Regina grinned. “I’m not sure the school has recovered from us yet.” 

“And Myka?” Emma asked. 

“We both met Myka when she started here as a resident.” 

Emma considered all of that. “So you and Regina are the same age?” 

“It’s not actually your turn anymore, Swan,” H.G. chided with a grin. “But yeah, more or less. And before you ask, I took a … longish break before I went to med school, which is why Regina is now my boss, and not the other way around.” 

“Yes, _that’s_ the reason,” Regina said dryly. 

“And it has nothing to do with the fact that Regina is probably the most gifted trauma surgeon anyone has seen in ages,” Myka added. 

H.G. pressed her hand against her chest. “Myka, darling … you wound me.” 

“I love you, but you know it’s true.” Myka blew her wife a kiss, while Regina watched all of it with a smile, quite used to the banter. Emma just shook her head with a grin, beginning to enjoy herself. 

H.G. turned to Regina and received a nod before she could ask anything. “Okay … Did you really sleep with Dr. Hunter from beta team?” 

“The guy I switched places with?” Emma asked, eyes wide. 

Regina glared at H.G. while considering her options. Going for a dare this early on could be a bad move, and the question wasn’t that bad. She looked at Emma and saw the burning question in green eyes. She sighed, choice made easily. “No, I didn’t.” 

Emma tried not to let her relief show, knowing full well that she had no right to feel possessive, especially about someone who might or might not have been in Regina’s past. She only wished the question had been about that mysterious Henry guy. Well, that was a question for later, maybe. 

Regina turned to Emma. “Truth or dare?” 

“Truth.” 

“Why did you leave Seattle?” 

“And you’re mocking _me_ about boring questions?” Emma scoffed but it was mostly to give herself time to think. She really didn’t want to share her reasons, didn’t want to get into the whole stalker issue, so she finally decided to be vague. “Personal reasons,” she mumbled. “I needed a change of scenery.” 

“Total cop-out,” Myka decided. “That calls for a drink.” 

“There was nothing in the rules about that,” Emma said, only slightly defensively. 

H.G. grinned. “You can drink or you can do a dare,” she offered. “Because _that_ wasn’t an answer.” 

Emma wordlessly prepared her drink and downed it. “My turn,” she gasped through the burning feeling. Then she turned to Myka, who nodded before Emma could ask. “How good was the sex earlier?” 

Myka sputtered, while H.G. and Regina looked almost proud, Emma realized. “You learn quickly, Emma,” Myka breathed. “The answer is: amazing.” She grinned at her wife, who blushed a little, looking almost bashful. “It always is.” 

“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like,” Emma remarked with a smirk. “I think even Trailer the dolphin noticed … I think his fin went pink when he blushed …” 

Myka’s face burned but she decided to ignore it. “Regina …” She waited for the nod. “When was the last time you went on a date?” 

Regina studied her hands for a long moment. “Last summer,” she finally said. 

“Really?” Myka asked. “With whom?” 

“Not part of the question, Myka,” Regina said with a grin. 

“Oh, come on,” H.G. pleaded. “You know you’re going to get the question sooner or later anyway.” 

Regina sighed. “I went out with a guy who moved onto my floor of our building,” she explained. “He came by to introduce himself and promptly asked me out to dinner.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Myka asked. 

“Why would I?” Regina asked back. “It was one dinner date and it turned out to be even more boring than a board meeting, so …” 

Myka winced. “Sorry, it was a bad date.” 

“I survived,” Regina snorted. “Emma, truth or dare?” 

“Me again?” Emma groaned. 

“Well, you are the most interesting,” H.G. said with a grin. 

“I doubt that.” 

“To us you are,” Myka grinned. 

“Like a new species under a microscope.” Emma snorted. “Truth.” 

“Why did you pretend to need my help with the cardiac tamponade on your first day?” 

“I didn’t really pretend.” Emma swallowed as Regina gave her a pointed look. “I’m not sure why, really,” she admitted. “I just knew you were testing me, and I’d only done it once before with one of the best cardiac surgeons I know standing right next to me, so … I knew what I was doing theoretically, but I also didn’t want to fuck it up.” _And I wanted to impress you._ Her eyes met Regina’s. “How did you know I’d done it before?” 

Regina smiled. “People tend to be a lot more hesitant the first time they ram a needle into a man’s chest. You were calm, and you knew where to go and what to do. Believe me, if you hadn’t looked confident, I never would have let you actually do it.” 

Emma smiled almost shyly. “Thanks for giving me the chance.” She turned to H.G., barely waiting for her nod. “Have you ever had sex with Regina?” 

This time everyone around the table held their breath; Myka even gasped a little. Emma had no idea why she’d asked, she wasn’t even sure she wanted an answer, not with the way this could make things even more awkward. She felt eyes on her and looked up, meeting Regina’s dark gaze from across the table, and not for the first time Emma wished she could read the other woman better. 

“Are you sure you want an answer to that?” H.G. asked mildly. 

_No, I’m not,_ Emma screamed internally, and it translated into a shake of her head. 

“Well, at least you’re honest,” H.G. chuckled. “The answer is …” She paused for effect, causing Regina to roll her eyes. “No … though not for lack of trying. Alas, Regina never looked at me that way.” 

Regina swatted away the puppy-dog look H.G. gave her. “You were my best friend, Helena,” she murmured. “That’s not something you throw away for a quick romp in the hay, no matter how much fun it might have been.” There were other reason that both Regina and Helena knew about but they had no place here at this table. 

“Very true,” H.G. agreed, locking eyes with her wife across the table, who mouthed _I love you_ and smiled. Then she turned back to her oldest friend with a devilish glint in her eyes. “Would you date Emma if she weren’t a doctor on your team?” 

Emma almost dropped the shot glass she had been toying with as her eyes flew up to look at Regina. She saw Regina glare at H.G. and letting the silence stretch on, the tension around the table rising steadily. _Please don’t pick a dare,_ Emma begged internally, followed by an even more fervent _Please say yes_. 


	6. Episode 3 - Part 3: Can't Blame It On The Alcohol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.
> 
> A/N: Here it is, the final part of the episode that wouldn't end: more talking, more drinking, more ... fun. Enjoy. :)
> 
> A/N 2: Thank you for your comments, reviews, faves and follows. Much appreciated. :)
> 
> A/N 3: I have no idea when the next episode will get posted since I'm pretty busy right now and I also need to focus on _Hide and Seek_ a little bit, so please be patient. :)

**Episode 3 — Part 3: Can’t Blame It On The Alcohol**

_“Would you date Emma if she weren’t a doctor on your team?”_

Regina studied the glass in her hand, thinking about going for a dare and taking a shot, just to avoid the question she had been thinking about all day. But then her eyes found Emma’s almost of their own accord, found herself watched closely with an open and interested look. She took a deep breath and looked straight into Emma’s eyes before replying with a soft, “Yes.” 

Emma could feel her heart rate jump, but she didn’t say anything, just kept her eyes on Regina who couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away either. They stared at each other in silence until H.G. cleared her throat, finally pulling Regina out of the moment. 

Regina turned to Myka knowing she always went with truth anyway. “Why did you trick us both into coming here?” she asked, voice a touch lower than before. 

Myka grinned. “We didn’t actually _trick_ Emma …” 

“But you did lie by omission,” Emma pointed out. 

Myka shrugged it off, not really regretting the setup. “We think you’d be good for each other, if you only gave Emma a chance,” she explained with a pointed look at Regina. 

“Did you ever wonder if forcing me to do this might be more than a little counterproductive?” Regina huffed. “That I might just decide to keep my distance because of this? I _have_ been known to be a little stubborn … or so I’ve been told a lot recentl ... and you," she looked at H.G., "you know _exactly_ how much I hate being manipulated." 

“I _have_ actually … every second since we asked Emma to come down with us,” Myka whispered. “But are you really going to punish yourself for my … deception?” 

“ _Our_ deception,” H.G. insisted. 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Who says it would be a punishment?” Myka simply stared at Regina and raised an eyebrow, causing her to relent with a soft exhale. “I haven’t made up my mind yet,” she murmured almost defiantly. “Your turn.” If the last bit came out a little sharper than usual, everybody ignored it. 

Myka decided to up the ante a little bit. “Emma …” 

“Truth.” 

Myka grinned evilly. “On a scale from one to ten, how good was the sex with Regina?” 

Emma coughed as her breath stalled for a second. With a blush blooming on her cheeks, she tried to find Regina's eyes but the other woman was staring at Myka with an unreadable expression on her face while Myka grinned back devilishly. 

Emma swallowed and shook her head. There was no way she was risking the progress she had made with Regina to satisfy Myka's curiosity. Not if she ever wanted a chance at experiencing it again. "Yeah, I'm not going to answer that one." 

H.G. smiled knowingly as she pulled over the bottle and filled Emma's glass. "That’ll cost you a shot and a dare." She watched as Emma took the glass, eyes on Myka and waiting for what she would have to do. 

Myka pretended to think, although she had known what she was going to say the second Emma had, quite expectedly, chosen to take a dare instead, thereby walking straight into Myka’s trap. "I dare you to kiss Regina … and to make it worth our while. Kiss her like--" 

She was interrupted when Emma coughed loudly and almost spit the tequila all over the table when it went down the wrong pipe. “Seriously?” she wheezed. 

Regina’s glare intensified. "I’d appreciate it if you tried not to kill off a member of our team with this stupid game." 

Myka shrugged not impressed by Regina's death glare nor Emma's coughing fit."That’s not getting you out of the dare, Emma," she simply said. "So, go ahead whenever you're done coughing out that mighty fine tequila ... and remember: make it good or I’ll make you do it again until I’m satisfied.” 

Emma swallowed, then got up slowly to walk around the table to Regina’s side, feeling as if she was clawing her way through molasses in slow motion. Her legs felt like lead and her head was still a little woozy, both from the shot and from the coughing fit it had caused. Feeling Regina's eyes on her, dark, calm, and following her progress like a hawk, just added to the tension. Finally, Emma slowly pulled Regina out of her chair and into her arms, hesitation written all over her features. She took her time to get them used to being in this position again, giving herself the opportunity to try and read Regina’s thoughts, albeit unsuccessfully. 

Regina's mind was a jumbled mess of emotions, and the only relief she felt was that Emma seemed even more nervous about this than she was. She had no idea what Emma was going to do, how far she was willing to take this dare. She schooled her features into a mostly professional mask, although it cost far too much effort for her liking because there was a big part of her that was aching to feel those lips on hers again. 

They kept staring at each other, tension mounting. When Emma couldn't take it anymore, she twisted her hand in Regina's hair and closed the small distance between them. 

Emma had planned for the kiss to be gentle, soft, an easy meeting of lips, assuming that Regina would be even more uncomfortable with the PDA than she herself was, but as soon as their mouths collided, those thoughts flew out the window. Emma's free arm moved around Regina's waist, pulling her as close as possible as she tilted her head to get closer, to move her mouth over Regina’s more freely. Her tongue flicked out once, twice, and then suddenly slipped right into Regina's mouth when her lips parted for a sharp breath. 

That gasp broke the last of Emma's resolve and she deepened the kiss with a small groan coming from deep within her throat. At least she thought it was her own, but with the way Regina's hand curled into her back and the sudden deft strokes of her tongue against Emma's, she wasn't really all that sure. 

Regina's heart was racing in her chest, and her nostrils flared as she tried to get oxygen into her system. She had almost managed to make herself forget what a fantastic kisser Emma was, but now that her body got a reminder she was loathe to end this kiss for something as mundane as taking a breath. One hand wrapped itself into the back of the thin tank top Emma wore as the other sneaked towards Emma's side, her thumb not so accidentally brushing against a breast. 

Emma's breath hitched when she felt the featherlight touch. In reaction, her own hand wandered down Regina's back until it sat dangerously close to her ass, while her tongue traced the inside of Regina's mouth. The rhythm of their kiss echoed through Emma's entire body, causing a throb between her legs, making her head spin and threatening to bring feelings to the forefront of her mind that she wasn't sure she was ready to face. 

H.G. tried to tear her eyes away from the sight of her best friend getting utterly lost in Emma's kiss but it proved to be much harder than she thought it should be. It was an experience to see Regina like that, all feeling, no thoughts getting in the way, her higher brain function switched off. "Was that what you had in mind?" she whispered, leaning as close to Myka as she could with the table between them. 

Myka swallowed hard. "I don't know what I expected, to be honest," she admitted. "But this ..." This was so much more. "Do you think we should say something or just go find somewhere else to be?" 

"Are you regretting the dare, darling?" 

Myka's eyes twinkled as they met her wife's. "Not really," she whispered. "Yeah, it's strange to see them like this, but it also feels as if there's a chance this might actually work out for them." 

"Pour us drinks, my love," H.G. suggested. "I think we might all need one after this." Then she cleared her throat as loudly as she could and, when that didn't help, she slammed an empty shot glass on the table. 

Hard. 

Regina and Emma jumped apart as if the other was on fire, looking around for the source of the interruption. H.G. grinned up at them and help up her now filled glass. "So sorry about that," she declared, sounding anything but. "A drink, ladies?" 

Regina blushed to the roots of her hair, feeling a little dazed from the kiss and its sudden ending. Her eyes went to Emma who wasn't faring much better, stumbling over her own feet on her way back to her seat. 

Myka grinned at Regina, feeling very proud of herself and not a little smug. Regina saw the grin and immediately grew defensive, knowing she had allowed herself to reveal way too much in the last few minutes. "Stop smirking, Myka," she demanded hoarsely. "It's not a particularly good look on you." 

"I think it’s an _exceptionally_ good look on her," H.G. quietly rebuked her with a smile for her wife. "Let's all drink to that beautiful ... display just now. I'd say that Myka's dare was answered in full. Well done, Emma." 

Emma nodded, but didn't say anything, feeling raw and exposed after the kiss which had gone on for far longer than she had planned, and definitely had involved a lot more feelings. Her nerves felt like livewires, and she knew even looking at Regina would cause her center to throb with need right now. So she focused on the shot glass that appeared in front of her and downed it quickly to calm herself, not bothering with either salt or lime. From the corners of her eyes she could see Myka and H.G. do the same but her eyes resolutely stayed away from the woman sitting across from her. 

"It’s your turn, Swan ...," Emma heard H.G. say, and her voice sounded oddly gentle to her ears. _We must have really made an impression_ , she thought. The kiss had answered some questions for her but it also brought back some burning questions from earlier in the day, one of which she could maybe get an answer to now. 

To do that, however, she'd have to look at Regina. 

When Emma raised her eyes she almost sighed at the way Regina was sitting at the table looking poised and calm. But Emma thought she could still see the remainder of a blush on her face which made her wonder if Regina was really as calm as she pretended to be. 

_Well, time to bite the bullet._ "Truth or dare, Regina?" Emma wished her voice didn't sound like she'd just been hit over the head, all wobbly and breathless. _I should have another drink._

“Truth,” Regina replied huskily. 

_Oh God, her voice is so fucking deadly like this,_ Emma thought resignedly. _I'm never_ not _going to find her insanely attractive._ She cleared her throat. "Who is Henry? The guy who called earlier?" she asked, trying hard to keep the jealousy out of her voice. _The guy who made your whole face light up?_

Regina barely managed to keep her expression neutral even when she heard the thinly veiled jealousy in Emma’s voice. Her evil streak, however, immediately reared its head at this opportunity to play with the other woman. “Henry is someone I love very much,” she said with the kind of smile his name always brought forth. “He’s the … most important man in my life.” 

Emma swallowed around the lump in her throat when she felt her hopes crumble before her eyes. She wondered if she had been played by the three women at the table, but Myka and H.G. were chuckling, and Myka uttered Regina’s name in a low warning. 

“What?” Regina asked, pretending to be offended. “You know it’s true. I love him more than I could ever express in words.” 

Jealousy was roiling like the sea inside Emma, although she was getting the feeling she was missing something important when H.G. and Myka just kept shaking their heads. 

H.G. grabbed the tequila and filled Regina’s glass. “But it’s not the whole truth, so I’m quite afraid you’re going to have to take a shot.” 

Regina shrugged good-naturedly, having expected that. With a wicked gleam in her eyes, she made a show of licking her hand, downing the shot, and sucking the lime, staring into Emma’s eyes the whole time. 

Emma felt the temperature in the room rising, and she was suddenly too hot even in her tank top and shorts, but she also was more confused than ever. It was clear to her that H.G. and Myka knew about Henry, and if push came to shove, she could always ask one of them next, but she was also beginning to think that things were not the way they seemed. She cleared her throat pointedly. “If that wasn’t the truth shouldn’t she have to do a dare too?” she asked, although she wasn’t at all certain what she wanted Regina to do should she get the opportunity to dare her. 

Regina glared at them. “I did not lie,” she pointed out. “And I already took the shot.” 

H.G. looked at Myka, then shrugged. “She’s right. Sorry, you also had to just take a shot earlier when you copped out of your question about why you left Seattle.” 

Emma grumbled but she was feeling almost relieved. “Then I guess it’s Regina’s turn.” 

Regina turned to Emma immediately. “How did you get Ruby to deliver coffee to the hospital?” 

Myka and H.G. leaned forward a little, also very interested in that answer, even tough they were beginning to feel a little left out of the game at this point. 

Emma was certain there was a question _behind_ the question, and she wondered if she could turn the table on Regina. She _could_ keep the other woman guessing … but was it worth it? Once again Emma tried to gauge Regina’s intent and mood, getting lost in her eyes for so long that she didn’t even realize she wasn’t answering the question. All she noticed was that Regina’s face seemed to be clouding over more and more until she looked away and fiddled with her shot glass. That was when Emma decided to just go with the truth. “I asked her because I thought we could all use some great coffee after that horrible day, but her response was pretty much what I expected …” 

“She said no?” Myka asked. Emma nodded. 

“Then how did you get her to relent?” H.G. wanted to know. 

“I told her the real reason I wanted the coffee,” Emma explained. Her eyes went back to Regina who was now looking at her with a puzzled expression on her face. “I told her I wanted to impress this beautiful woman who I wanted to date and who loved her coffee.” 

“And that’s what got her to agree?” Regina rasped. 

Emma nodded. “She said she’d seen the way I looked at you at our breakfast and she decided to take pity on me.” 

Regina’s eyes didn’t leave her face. “But you were flirting with her the whole time …” 

“She was flirting with me and I bantered back … it’s what people _do_ , Regina!” Emma insisted. “Ruby told me you flirt with her like crazy when you’re not pissed at me for showing up unexpected …” 

“And … you did this for me?” 

“Don’t you get it?” Emma asked softly, her eyes soft and vulnerable. “I’d love to do things like that for you all the time.” 

There was a long silence as Regina and Emma just stared at each other, trying to decipher looks and intentions. After a few moments, H.G. and Myka shared a look, then quietly got up and sneaked away as they realized that their game had come to a sudden end. This was a conversation Emma and Regina needed to have, and that H.G. didn’t need to be privy to. 

Emma and Regina didn’t even notice. 

“Okay, I get that you’re interested in me but … are you interested in Ruby as well?” Regina asked suddenly. 

Emma shook her head, barely managing not to roll her eyes. “I am _not_ interested in Ruby,” she replied, sounding just slightly exasperated. “I wouldn’t even be interested in her if you kept denying that there’s something between us that’s worth exploring.” 

Regina studied her face to see if she was lying. 

“Here’s the thing, Regina,” Emma continued. “The only one I’m interested in is you, and it’s been that way since that first night at the bar.” 

Regina was still for a long time, then let out a breath she hadn’t even be aware of holding in, and her heart felt lighter all of a sudden. “Okay,” she whispered. 

Emma furrowed her brow. “Okay? That’s all you have to say?” She sighed when Regina remained quiet. Then she remembered that there was still something that _she_ really wanted an answer to. “All right … erm,” she started hesitantly. “So, you really have no reason to be jealous about Ruby but … erm … is that Henry dude the reason you won’t even give me a chance?” 

Regina couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing. 

“What?” Emma hissed. “Just tell me, dammit.” 

Regina sobered at the distress she could hear in Emma’s voice, realizing this had finally gone a little too far. She quickly moved to the seat closer to Emma, vaguely noticing that they were alone now. _Huh, okay._ “Emma,” she said gently, “he’s _one_ of the reasons, yes, bu—“ 

“Are you in love with him? Is _that_ it?” Emma interrupted heatedly. “Why did you even sleep with me then? What was—?" 

Regina put her fingers on Emma’s lips to stop her. “Listen to me,” she pleaded. “I’m sorry about all of this, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you straight away but … Henry is not some _guy_ , and I’m _not_ in love with him. But he _is_ very important to me and I love him very much.” 

“I don’t understand,” Emma whined. 

Regina smiled. “Henry is my son.” 

Emma looked taken aback. “You have a son?” 

Regina mentally kicked herself. _You were so worried about keeping her at a distance when all you had to mention was your kid._ It hurt a lot more than she thought it would, she realized. _Now that she had almost decided not to ignore her feelings for Emma …_ “Is that a problem?” she gave voice to her doubts, needing clarity. 

Emma tilted her head. “Why would it be?” She saw the relief in Regina’s eyes, and hope bloomed in her chest. Maybe this weekend would prove to be the best thing that ever happened to her. “I was just wondering … that night … you took me home and he … Was Henry with his father?” 

Regina smiled at the way Emma made sure to use his name, but also at the hidden question. “Henry … doesn’t have a father,” she reassured the younger woman. “He lives with his grandfather most of the time. This weekend he’s at a photography camp.” 

“Oh,” Emma breathed. H.G.'s comments from before dinner came back, and now she understood why they had hit Regina so hard. “That must be hard for you. How old is he?” 

“He’s nine.” Regina fought with herself for a few moments, her hands itching to show Emma his picture, to show her little boy off to this woman who was becoming so important to her. _Let’s not overwhelm her … she may not have a problem with his existence but that doesn’t mean …_

“Do you … okay, don’t take this the wrong way,” Emma interrupted Regina’s thoughts. “But … do you have a picture of him?” 

Regina looked at her in wonder, pleasantly surprised. “You want to see a photo of him?” She got up to get her phone, looking around the empty room. “Looks like we lost H.G. and Myka for good.” 

Emma smiled. “I really like them but I can’t say that I mind being alone with you.” 

“Emma,” Regina said warningly, voice low as she came back to the table with her phone. 

“What? That _can’t_ be news to you!” 

Regina sighed and showed Emma her phone background of a grinning Henry. 

“Cute guy,” Emma declared with a grin, handing back the phone. “Thank you.” 

Regina nodded, touched that Emma wasn’t running for the hills because of Henry. “You’re welcome.” Her voice was low and even raspier than usual and she stared at Emma who couldn’t help but keep looking back. 

“You gotta stop looking at me like that,” Emma murmured after a long time. 

“Like what?” Regina’s eyes didn’t waver. 

“Like that,” she pointed out, trying to swallow down her growing desire. ”Not if you don’t want me to …” 

“To … what?” Regina’s eyes flickered from Emma’s eyes to her lips and back. 

“To do this.” Emma kissed her, softly at first, but like with the kiss before it only took a flicker of her tongue against Regina’s bottom lip to deepen the kiss. She pulled Regina out of her chair and into her own lap to get her closer, hands immediately roaming all over her back and into her short hair. They both start panting into each other’s mouths, arousal slamming into them like a physical force. 

“You really need to get a room.” 

Regina reared back from Emma at the sound of Myka’s voice but the younger woman refused to let her go. Instead, Emma grinned, refusing to be embarrassed. “Like _you_ did this afternoon?” 

“Exactly,” Myka agreed with a smile. 

“Why don’t you go and take Emma to the boat?” H.G. suddenly suggested. 

Regina tilted her head as if thinking about it. “I did promise you two I’d sleep on the boat, didn’t I?” she finally murmured. 

H.G. and Myka nodded eagerly, holding hands, making it obvious that they really wouldn’t mind having the cabin to themselves now. 

With a grin, Regina turned back to Emma. “Would you like to spend the night on the water, Doctor Swan?” 

Emma swallowed at the invitation and the implication behind it but her smile was almost blinding as she replied. “Absolutely.” 

—*—*— 

The night was warm and humid, and down here, far away from the sounds of the city, everything felt slightly unreal. She wrapped her arms around herself when a breeze from the ocean hit her as they made their way towards the _Rocinante_. The yacht was bobbing softly on the waves, lit only by a small positioning light, beckoning them to come aboard. 

Now that she had cooled off a little and her brain had started working again, she was getting nervous, although she wondered why that was. It wasn’t like she hadn’t slept with Regina before, so she knew it was going to be good. 

Scratch that. It was going to be _spectacular_. 

Suddenly Emma was extremely glad that she hadn’t had too much to drink. She felt a slight buzz, a low-key high that ran through her system, making her a little giddy, although that could just as easily be attributed to the thought of being able to touch Regina again. 

God, how she wanted to touch that woman again. 

The question that plagued her wasn’t the thought of spending the night with the woman she was falling for rather rapidly. No, it was the question of what was going to happen _afterwards_ , when they were back in the real world. The world of hospitals and traumas and other people, people who might be judgmental and who probably wouldn’t condone their relationship. _And what about Regina’s son?_ Because _God_ , Regina had been right: Emma _was_ complicating her life immensely. 

A step in front of her, Regina was lost in her own thoughts and doubts. _Was this a mistake of epic proportions?_ Was she just repeating something she shouldn’t even have done the first time around? _You need to stop running from love,_ her mind chided her, taking on Rosa’s voice. _You need to enjoy the moment._

But what happened _after_ the moment? What happened when they went back to work, when they were faced with the task of working together in close proximity? When the hospital gossips caught wind of their … affair? 

Regina hadn’t even realized that she had stopped walking until Emma bumped into her from behind, almost toppling them both off the narrow pier. “Sorry,” Emma mumbled quietly. “I was just thinking …” 

“Hmm,” Regina replied, keeping a steadying hand on Emma’s arm. “So was I,” she admitted, but just the knowledge that Emma seemed to be having some doubts as well calmed her down and helped to put things in perspective. She _was_ going to enjoy herself this weekend, and would deal with the fallout later. _Unless, of course, …_ “Second thoughts?” she asked seriously. 

Emma met Regina’s eyes in the pale moonlight as she tilted her head from left to right reluctantly. “I don’t know … just thinking, I guess.” She was having some doubts but not nearly enough to want to end this before it even started. “You?” 

“Second, third, and probably even fourth,” Regina replied sardonically. 

“Do you want to … I could go sleep in one of the hammocks,” Emma offered with a grimace that didn’t go unnoticed. 

Regina gave her a smile. Knowing she had an out made her realize that she really didn’t want one. What she wanted was the woman in front of her that was trying so hard to pretend that she would be okay if she had to sleep outside. 

“That’s really not necessary, Emma.” Regina grinned, feeling almost free all of a sudden. “Did I say anything about stopping this?” She fisted one hand into the front of Emma’s tank top and pulled her into a fierce kiss. “I want you, Emma,” she rasped against the younger woman’s mouth once they parted. 

Emma almost swooned. _Jesus, that woman could kiss._ “I want you too,” she panted. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you.” 

“Well, you had me once …” 

“Yeah, more like three times,” Emma grinned and leaned in for another kiss, which ended far too quickly when Regina let out a sound that could only be described as a dirty chuckle. “God, you’re driving me crazy,” Emma groaned, pushing Regina away a little so they could maybe manage to get on board before they ended up doing something on the pier that it really wasn’t meant for. 

Regina stumbled a little but managed to hold onto Emma for support. She laughed out loud and Emma swore that she would do her damn best to elicit that beautiful sound as often as she could. But it also made her wonder. “How many drinks did you have tonight?” she asked while trying to figure out how much she herself had had. 

Regina grinned. “Just enough to stop thinking and start acting on what I want,” she replied earnestly. “What about you?” 

“About the same,” Emma said, feeling relief and a new wave of desire flood her system. 

“What are we waiting for then?” 

—*—*— 

“Do you think they’re going to be okay?” Myka asked, her head pressed into the crook of Helen’s neck. 

The hand running up and down her spine stopped, then resumed its tracing. “I hope so,” H.G. replied softly, her breath whispering through Myka’s curls. “I just …” 

“Just what?” Myka asked when her wife didn’t continue. “Do you think they were so caught up in the moment that they’re going to regret it tomorrow?” 

H.G. sighed. “Knowing Regina? That’s a definite possibility.” She pulled Myka closer into her arms. “I hope it’s them making the decisions tonight and not the tequila.” 

“Neither of them drank that much, Helena,” Myka reminded her. “They looked pretty clear-headed when they left.” 

“Just enough to lower their inhibitions and take care of the doubts?” 

“Just about, yes.” Myka rolled herself on top of H.G. and rolled her hips against her center. “Now, how about we stop talking about _their_ inhibitions and start losing _ours_?” 

H.G. groaned in pleasure and pulled Myka more firmly against her body. 

—*—*— 

Regina led Emma onto the boat, helping her over the side in the dark. The moon was out in full force, bathing everything in a light blue glow, but for someone who was unfamiliar with small boats it was still a challenge. 

"Thank you," Emma breathed once both her feet were standing firmly on the deck, her hand still in Regina's. It simply felt too good to let go. "I have to admit that I've never been on a boat before." 

"Never?" Regina was surprised. "I can't even imagine that." 

"Well, I've been on ferries but that's not really the same thing, is it?" Emma pulled Regina closer. "This is much more ... intimate." 

Regina chuckled. "That it is." She gently removed her hand from Emma's to open the door that led down to the cabin. "It also means you need to be more careful on deck because when you fall, you'll probably go overboard." 

"Noted, Captain." Emma saluted sloppily as she pressed herself closer to Regina at the small doorway. 

Emma's breath ghosted over Regina's ear, making her shiver and the tiny hairs on her arms stand up at attention. She fought the urge to turn around and ravish Emma where they stood, taking her against the side of the cabin, space and comfort be damned. Two deep breaths helped a tiny bit, but not enough to calm Regina's racing heart or raging desire. "If you keep doing that," she rasped, "I might yank you down those stairs faster than you might like." 

Regina's husky voice traced a path from Emma's ear down to her center, vibrating, turning on Emma even more than she already was. "You have no idea what you're doing to me," she muttered, but she took a minuscule step back, figuring the sooner they got inside, the sooner she could be all over Regina. 

Regina swallowed hard at the words. _And I'm sure you have no idea what you're doing to me ... but I guess that's exactly what I wanted this past week._ She quickly moved down the narrow steps and held her hand out to help Emma down as well. She waited until Emma was safely inside to close the door behind her. The she walked over to a side table to turn on a small lamp, and with the warm light suddenly flooding the room, Regina was hit by nerves. She buried both hands in the pockets of her shorts, torn between the sudden urge to make some inane comment -- _but you hate small talk, Regina, and why the hell are your feelings all over the place today_ \-- and just crossing the distance between them in one giant step to be in those arms again. 

Emma barely had eyes for the exquisite furnishings of the room. She noticed a cream-colored leather sofa, a small open kitchen, and low shelves along the sides as she turned around once, but the only thing she really _saw_ was Regina. Regina who was standing in the middle of the room looking almost ... _shy_ , now that they were standing in the warm light of the lamp. 

"Come here," Emma whispered gently, holding out her hand and breathing out in relief when Regina took it and allowed herself to be pulled close. Emma held Regina's hand, raising it between their bodies, slowly pulling Regina in until their joined hands rested between their breasts, the only thing separating them. With her free hand, Emma tenderly brushed a lock of dark hair out of Regina's face, then trailed a fingertip across her eyebrows, down her nose, and finally across the beautiful scar on her upper lip. She smiled softly as her eyes and finger mapped Regina's face in a way she hadn't had the opportunity before. 

After a few moments, Regina's eyes met hers, open and dark, and Emma's finger stilled. They gazed at each other, not moving, breath becoming more shallow by the second until Regina felt the need to break the silence. "What are you doing?" she murmured hoarsely. 

"Looking at you," Emma whispered. "You're gorgeous ... so damn beautiful. I don't even remember if I told you that ... the first time we ..." 

Regina smiled. "You did ... I think." She also reached out with her free hand and pushed a strand of hair behind Emma's ear. "And it's you who's beautiful." Then she cupped Emma's face and slowly leaned in to bring their lips together in a soft, almost chaste kiss. “I tried so hard to stay away from you … because we really shouldn’t be doing this … but … 

“But?” Emma breathed against Regina’s cheek. 

“But right now I just want you,” Regina admitted breathlessly, rubbing her cheek against Emma’s as she leaned closer. “Do you want me, Emma?” she asked, her lips touching the shell of Emma’s ear, tongue flicking the lobe once before nipping with a touch of teeth. 

Emma’s reply was a low growl, almost animalistic, as she wrapped her hands into Regina’s hair and pulled her mouth back to her own, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss. The growl got deeper as the kiss got more intense, her tongue slipping effortlessly between Regina’s lips to explore her mouth. 

Emma wanted to take her time to explore, she really did, but the alcohol in her system, the subtropical night, everything the night’s game had revealed, and the sheer, pure desire she had for the woman in her arms conspired against her. All she could think about, all she wanted was to feel Regina’s skin against her own, to touch her body and be touched in return, to refresh her memories and learn new things, find out everything there was to know about giving Regina pleasure. 

“I missed you,” Emma murmured, trailing her lips against Regina’s jaw, down her neck, scraping her teeth gently against the tendons that connected neck and shoulder. “I know it’s crazy … but I really missed you, missed this …” She felt hands tangle in her hair, pushing and pulling, curling into her scalp. “You have no idea how much I want you right now.” 

Regina let out a small dirty chuckle, a sound that hit Emma right in her center and made the desire curl and twist in her lower abdomen. “Oh, I do have an idea.” 

Emma grinned against Regina’s throat. “Is there a bedroom on this boat?” 

“Two actually,” Regina breathed. 

"I'm sure we can make do with one," Emma replied, lips vibrating against Regina's skin. “For now." 

Together they moved through the main cabin and a small hallway with Regina pointing to the right _— guest cabin —_ and the left _— bathroom —_ between kisses, and Emma paying no attention whatsoever to anything that wasn’t Regina’s skin. Her fingers curled into the white shirt Regina was wearing, tearing at it impatiently. By the time they were standing in the yacht’s small master bedroom, the shirt was half open and hanging off one shoulder, revealing the bikini top Regina was wearing underneath. 

Regina grabbed the hem of Emma’s tank top and pulled it off in one smooth move, tossing it in the corner behind Emma. Then she stood absolutely still and simply stared. The light from the hallway filtered into the bedroom, illuminating Emma’s runner’s body, all long, lean, toned muscles. Regina knew she hadn’t paid enough attention their first time together, and she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. She reached out with one hand and traced Emma’s abdominal muscles, delighting in the way they clenched at the touch and the sound Emma made, needy and raw. 

“You’re gorgeous,” Regina breathed, barely resisting the urge to just tear the rest of the clothes off of Emma’s body. 

Emma didn’t have those qualms. She opened the final two buttons of Regina’s shirt as fast as her trembling fingers allowed, then simply pushed it off her shoulders. When her hands reached for the straps of her sports bikini top, Regina jumped into action again, and within seconds all restraint was lost as they tore their clothes off, overcome by the need to feel their naked bodies pressed together as their mouths sought out the other’s and all that remained between them were their bikini bottoms. 

Emma moved them backwards until Regina’s knees hit the bed and she sat down heavily, toppling several pillows off the bed with the sudden move. Regina didn’t notice — her whole focus was on the woman who was straddling her lap, still kissing her. She broke away to lean forward and catch one of Emma’s nipples in her mouth, sucking, nipping, licking greedily, and enjoying the moans Emma couldn’t hold back. 

“I want you so much,” Regina said again between kisses and nips. 

Emma pulled Regina’s head up to catch her mouth in another hungry, deep, open-mouthed kiss. “I want you too,” she panted against Regina’s mouth between kisses. “Please don’t tease me.” 

“Not too … much … at least.” Regina kissed a path down Emma’s neck, alternating licks and sucks, trying only half-heartedly not to leave a mark. She relished in every moan Emma made, every sigh just made her hotter, wetter, made her crave more of … everything. 

Emma got up from Regina’s lap and chuckled when she heard Regina’s disappointed groan, which turned into an appreciative moan when Emma ran her hands down her own body in a little show. “You just said … no teasing,” Regina complained half-heartedly. 

Emma chuckled as she gently pushed Regina towards the center of the bed and slowly crawled on top of her, kissing her way up first one leg, then the other, her hands following in her mouth’s wake until they encountered the bikini bottoms that looked more like black boyshorts. She hooked one finger under the edge and looked up to meet Regina’s dark eyes. “May I?” She tugged lightly. 

“Y-yes,” Regina moaned, already incredibly aroused, and only getting more so just seeing the look of hunger on Emma's face. She could feel how wet she was becoming, her body craving Emma's touch. Her whole body tensed, eyes closed tightly, as Emma removed that last bit of clothing, waited on bated breath for the touch, any kind of touch where she needed and wanted to be touched, but it didn't come. 

A second later her brain short-circuited at the first swipe of Emma’s tongue along her wet folds and she almost came right then, keyed up as she was from their kisses and the way she had denied herself this since their first night together. She pushed her hands into Emma’s hair to direct her to where she so desperately wanted her. 

Emma went along willingly. She could smell Regina’s arousal and gasped at the sharp twitch in her lower abdomen in response. Her own arousal was slowly threatening to overwhelm her and it took all her control not to just ravage Regina hard and fast. She wanted to take her time, relishing the feeling of being this aroused, and this close once more to the woman that hadn’t left her mind since the first she had lain eyes on her. She pressed her lower body into the bed, trying to relieve some of the tension between her legs but that only made it worse. 

Emma took a deep breath, trying to gain some control, but the scent of Regina’s arousal hit her full force, and she felt her own spike dangerously. She forced herself to focus on Regina, wanting to make it good, wanting to make an impression, wanting to make it so that Regina would want to do it again and again. Emma already knew that she would want to repeat this as often as possible, for as long as possible. When her lips finally covered Regina’s clit, the other woman let out a drawn-out groan that had Emma’s center clench in sympathy. 

Regina was already very close to coming but she suddenly wanted to feel more of Emma, wanted to feel her against her whole body. She pulled Emma’s head away from her center, grinning at the tortured groan that came from Emma’s mouth.“What … did I do something … wrong?”. 

Regina shook her head. “I need you … up here,” she explained breathlessly. One of her hands found purchase on Emma’s biceps and she pulled her up until she could kiss those lips again. “Want to feel you close when I come.” 

Emma groaned at the words as she sank into the kiss, her body settling between Regina’s legs and almost melting against the woman straining up against her. Her fingers trailed down to Regina’s core as her lips moved down to a breast, and she sank one of them into Regina, just as her lips started tugging and licking. Feeling Regina buck up against her, one leg raised around her hip, only made Emma’s want that much greater, and suddenly she couldn’t wait any longer. 

“I want to feel you inside of me now, Regina,” Emma rasped, using her thigh to push her fingers harder into Regina. “I need to feel you hard and deep.” 

Regina simply groaned, her brain not registering much beyond _deep, hard_ and _inside_. She pushed her hand between their bodies and inside the bikini bottom Emma was still wearing, just as she felt Emma add a second finger inside her. She growled when she felt how ready Emma was for her, knowing that Emma could feel her hot, slick wetness at the same time. “Gods, Emma,” she ground out, her voice husky, “you’re _so_ wet.” 

“For you,” Emma groaned, straining to feel more of Regina. “Please, Regina … I need you.” 

Regina pushed two fingers deeply into Emma, as deep as she could given their position, mirroring Emma’s speed and force. “God, Emma … please … harder.” 

Emma picked up the speed and force of her fingers, although she was beginning to have trouble focusing on anything except for the feeling Regina’s fingers created in her. “More, Regina,” she groaned, “more …” 

Regina pulled out for a fraction of a second, then pushed three fingers into Emma as hard, deep, and fast as she could, knowing in a second Emma would do the same to her. She bit her lip to keep herself from screaming when she felt herself stretched deliciously a moment later. “So good,” she mumbled, “so good, Emma.” 

“You feel so good,” Emma whispered as she began to shake, both from exertion and arousal. 

“So … close,” Regina growled, her voice a husky purr, much lower than usual. When Emma’s thumb pressed down on her clit, she bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. “I’m … gonna … there … yes … so close … right there …” 

“Can’t … much longer …” Emma was trying to focus on Regina but finding herself unable to when her own pleasure reached fever pitch. When Regina circled her clit with her thumb and then pressed down rhythmically, she came, mouth wide open in a scream she tried her damn best to bite back. 

Seeing Emma come undone pushed Regina over the edge as well. The climax hit her with such force that she had to press her mouth against Emma’s shoulder in an attempt to keep at least somewhat quiet. 

They both collapsed, bodies relaxing bonelessly after a few moments. Regina could feel the aftershocks of Emma’s orgasm through her fingers and suspected Emma could feel hers as well. She smiled and moved her head from Emma’s shoulder so she could kiss a trail up her throat towards her mouth. 

They kissed slowly, languidly for a long time, enjoying their moment together, before reality could barge in. Emma gently pulled her fingers out which left Regina sighing but following suit. Regina brought her fingers to her mouth and licked them clean. “I like your taste,” she murmured, her breath still uneven. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to do it this time.” 

Emma leaned in and kissed Regina, greedily chasing after her taste from Regina’s mouth. “Hmm,” she hummed when they parted. “Next time then.” 

Their bodies stilled as their eyes met, and they separated by unspoken consent, Emma rolling away and settling in on her back next to Regina. They lay there, both trying to slow down their racing hearts, both trying not to let the outside world intrude just yet. 

It was too late for that. 

As soon as Emma felt she was able to speak coherently, she pressed herself up on an elbow and leaned over Regina, unable to keep the relaxed, almost dopey smile from stretching her cheeks. “Will you go on a date with me now?” 

Regina didn’t know if it was the blissful, post-orgasmic haze she was in or the beautiful, hopeful grin on Emma’s face that made her do it, but before she could stop herself, she felt herself smiling back and replying with a whispered, “I’ll consider it.” 


	7. Episode 4 - Part 1: Reality Bites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters. I just give them a nice AU life.
> 
> A/N: I know the time between updates is long but this is mostly due to the fact that I need to be in a specific mindset for this story. Anyway, here is the first part of Episode 4.

**Episode 4 - Part 1: Reality Bites**

_Monday mornings suck,_ Emma thought as her hand hit nothing but cool sheets. _Especially when you wake alone after waking up wrapped around Regina the previous two mornings._

With a sigh, Emma rolled onto her back, thoughts drifting back to one of the best weekends she had ever had. They had spent most of Saturday out on the water, Regina taking them to some of her favorite spots to snorkel and swim. Regina and Helena had gone for a short dive and Emma had almost had a heart attack at the sight of Regina in her half wetsuit. Regina had given her a sly smirk, then tossed her a spare suit, shown her how to use the equipment, and had take her for a very short and safe introductory dive. 

Emma smiled when she thought back to the long shower they had taken afterwards, and the way HG and Myka had turned up the volume on the radio topside loud enough to scare away all the fish in the area. When Myka told them that it was better than having to listen to Emma and Regina getting it on in the shower, Regina had just laughed and asked if married life had turned them so boring that they hadn’t thought of making use of the opportunity themselves. 

Emma probably wasn’t going to forget the blush on Myka’s face any time soon. And she’d definitely never forget the sound of Regina’s joyful, relaxed, and loud laugh that rang out over the sea. 

_Time to face the music._ Emma rolled out of bed and took a quick shower. If she was lucky, she could pop into Ruby’s for a nice breakfast before her shift, and bring Regina a good cup of coffee, although she hoped deep down inside that the other woman would be there as well so they could have breakfast together. 

_Just like Saturday._

_Just like Sunday._

Emma realized that she wouldn’t mind seeing Regina for breakfast much more often. Her heart stuttered in her chest as her mind went to _every day_ but the sensible side of her brain stopped those thoughts immediately. _Way too soon, Swan. Way,_ way _too soon._

As soon as Emma was dressed in khakis and a tank top, she grabbed her keys and left for Ruby’s, praying that Regina would be there. 

And if not … well, harmless flirting with Ruby was always fun too. 

Just not the same as breakfast with Regina. 

—*—*— 

Myka hit the steering wheel with a rare curse word escaping her mouth. She was frustrated — at the morning traffic on Brickell, at her own sour mood, at Helena, at the fight they had that made her insist on taking her own car to the hospital this morning. Alone. And now she sat here, wondering why traffic always seemed to flow when Helena was driving, and why on earth they were fighting anyway. 

A horn honked in the lane next to her and Myka saw a woman behind the wheel, gesticulating wildly while talking on her cell phone. From the backseat, a boy of about three waved at Myka as he laughed, presumably at something his mother said, if not life in general. 

_Kids,_ Myka sighed as she waved back with her apple twister in her hand. That was the issue with her and Helena. More specifically, that Myka wanted them, and HG refused to even talk about the subject. 

The fight had started on Sunday after they’d gotten back home in the late afternoon after a message from Regina that had a photo of Henry with his big camera attached. Helena had smiled widely at the sight, and Myka had decided that this might be a good opportunity to broach the subject once more. 

HG had brushed her off with no more than a gruff, “I don’t want children, Myka” before disappearing into their study to do some paperwork that she insisted needed to be done right now. Myka had stared after her wife, bewildered at the outright refusal to even talk about it. She had followed, asked her if there was something going on, something Myka didn’t know, but HG had stoically worked on her laptop, 

“Is there something … is there a reason you won’t even talk to me?” Myka had asked gently. 

Helena had sighed deeply. “There’s … It’s nothing, Myka,” she had finally replied without looking up from her work. “I just don’t want to talk about it, okay?” Another sigh, “It has nothing to do with you, if that helps.” 

It didn’t help, of course it didn’t. Not when Myka could read between the lines, could feel that there was history there, history that she wasn’t privy to. Just another secret in Helena’s life. 

Myka wondered if she’d ever get to know all her wife’s secrets, or at least the really important ones. She also wondered if Regina knew what this reluctance was all about. After all, her boss knew Helena better than she did. 

The car behind her honked impatiently, and Myka crawled another few yards towards the hospital. 

—*—*— 

Emma parked her car at the hospital and jogged over to Ruby’s. She was actually quite early, and her need for coffee by now was getting almost unbearably strong. 

She paused inside the door to look around. There was a light ping at the back of her mind — a feeling as if she was being watched — but she couldn’t pick out anything or anyone strange. Then Ruby was in her personal space and the feeling was gone. 

“Hey, you alone?” Ruby asked with a broad smile. 

Emma wondered how anybody could be this awake at oh dark thirty on a Monday morning. “Yeah, at least so far,” she replied, returning the grin with a tired smile of her own that devolved into a yawn. 

“Oh, man, someone’s tired,” Ruby laughed. “Not enough sleep on the weekend?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. When Emma just rolled her eyes and refused to divulge any information, Ruby shrugged and pointed at the same table they had used the last time she had been in here. “Pete’s sitting at your table, if you don’t mind a man-child stuffing his face with pancakes. Who is currently waving at you like a mild-mannered maniac …” 

_Ah, that explains the weird feeling,_ Emma thought. “I’ll join him, and I need—“ 

“Coffee, I know. You have that look of desperation about you.” Ruby turned to head back to the counter. 

“Wait,” Emma called out to Ruby while giving Pete a small wave. “Pancakes sound good, and I’m pretty sure Pete won’t share.” 

“Yeah, you don’t want to get between Pete and his food,” Ruby nodded with a laugh. “Chocolate chip okay? Or did you want to try the Mills special?” 

“Oh?” Emma was intrigued. “What’s that?” 

“Apple pancakes.” Ruby knew Emma’s answer before she heard it. 

“Sounds great, I’ll give it a try.” 

Emma walked over to Pete, missing Ruby’s knowing smile and the eye roll she couldn’t quite hold back at Emma’s predictability. “You and everyone else on that team,” she muttered under her breath. “What is it with all of you and apples?” 

—*—*— 

Pete wondered what Ruby and Emma were talking about for so long. Emma had only been at the trauma center for a week, so how was it that she already seemed friends with their favorite waitress? _Emma must have made one hell of an impression at that breakfast I missed last week,_ he thought as he stuffed another half of a pancake in his mouth. He saw Ruby pointing at him, so he waved with a chipmunk grin which got wider when Emma waved back. 

He liked the new addition to the team. She was capable and nice, and pretty easy on the eyes as well — all three areas were a definite improvement over their last team member. He shuddered when he thought of the doctor Emma had replaced. _Holy Mary_ was a mousy, bigoted blonde whose only aim in entering medicine had been to find a good husband, and nobody had understood how she had managed to get into the state’s most competitive program. 

Regina had not been amused by Doctor Mary Jensen’s attitude, especially once she started telling all the female doctors in the trauma unit that she couldn’t wait to get married and start raising kids so she didn’t have to work any longer. 

And that was even before she and another nurse had gotten together to rat out Helena and Myka to admin, citing non-existent fraternization rules and calling them deviants. To this day Pete had no idea how Regina managed to avert that crisis and come out on top while still managing to keep Myka and HG on her team. She never talked about it, and neither of them were certain they really wanted to know. 

Emma was like a breath of fresh air after that, and Pete could already see that she would be a valuable member of their team, their family, although Regina seemed to be a little reluctant to accept her. He wondered why that was, and nobody had told him anything, no matter how often he had asked, hinted at, or bribed. 

Pete smiled. Even if Regina wasn’t Emma’s biggest fan yet, he sure liked her. Maybe he could use this breakfast to see if she would be interested in maybe going out for a coffee or drinks with him. Surely one of the women he worked with had to be straight, right? 

“Looks like you’re having some interesting thoughts,” Emma commented as she slid into the booth. 

Pete almost choked as he quickly swallowed down the last of his pancakes. “Er … good morning, Doctor Swan,” he wheezed. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that or are you desperate for more trauma cases?” 

Emma laughed, the sound like music to Pete’s ears. “I do know the Heimlich, Pete,” she grinned. “Besides, wasn’t it you who waved me over just a minute ago?” 

Pete blushed and hid behind his coffee cup. “Like you said, there was a minute between the waving and you coming over, so I got lost in thought.” He smiled disarmingly. “I do that sometimes, Doctor Swan … _think_ , I mean.” 

“I thought I told you to call me Emma,” she reminded him. “And I would hope thinking is part of your skill set. Otherwise I’d have to wonder why Regina values you so highly.” She winked, then smiled at the young blonde waitress who placed her coffee and pancakes on the table. 

Pete sat up straight. “Maybe she’s just secretly completely captivated by my charm and this adonis body.” 

Emma snorted into her coffee. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” _Does he not know that Regina is gay?_ Emma swallowed her coffee. _Well, it’s not like she advertises her private life, I guess._

Pete grinned. “Yeah, I know, being the straight guy on the team is really working out for me,” he laughed. 

“Well, I’m sure one day you’ll find an equally straight doctor or nurse to work with.” Emma patted his arm. 

“I’ve gone out with all the nurses under the age of 60, I think,” Pete joked. “So it’ll have to be someone new at the hospital.” He paused. “Speaking of which …” 

_Uh-oh._ Emma smiled uncomfortably, having been on the receiving end of this conversation often enough to recognize immediately where this was most likely going. “Pete …” 

But Pete was already talking again. “Would you like to go out with me sometime?” 

“Pete …” Emma repeated gently. “I’m sorry, but the answer is no.” This was so horribly familiar, and she hoped that Pete would take the rejection better than the last guy had. “I like you as a coworker … but my _interests_ lie elsewhere.” 

Pete stared at her for five seconds, eyes wide, brow furrowed. Then he burst out laughing. “Damn, that’s just my luck … working on the only team in the hospital that has no eye for what I have to offer.” He chuckled as his laughter died down. “It’s all good, Swan,” he reassured her. “It’s not like I’m not used to this reaction.” 

Emma exhaled slowly as her whole body relaxed. She pushed her plate of pancakes a little closer to the middle of the table. “Here,” she said, pointing with her fork. “You can’t have me, but I’m absolutely willing to share my pancakes with you.” 

“Ooh, forget dating,” Pete cooed. “Pancakes more than make up for _that_. You’re my new favorite,” he declared, mouth full of pancake, and in this moment Emma could see only too well why Ruby had called him a man-child. 

“You’re actually a 15-year-old in a grown-up body, aren’t you?” Emma snorted. “At least when we’re not working.” 

Pete chased the last of the pancake down with some coffee. “Hey, no reason to start insulting people,” he complained after swallowing. “I’m not a day over 12\. Just don’t tell the boss.” He winked with an adorable grin on his face. “She thinks I’m doing all right with that adulting thing …” 

Emma grinned and threw her napkin at him, happy that everything between them was good. “Oh, you’re adulting just fine, Pete …” 

—*—*— 

Emma ran for the elevator trying to make it before the doors closed completely. With a death-defying smirk she pushed her arm through the opening and moved into the cabin without looking up. She turned around and hit the button for the surgical floor upstairs, only barely registering that someone was standing at the back. “Sorry, didn’t want to wait,” Emma mumbled, twisting her scrub cap in her free hand before stuffing it into a pocket. 

There was a low, familiar chuckle behind her. “That’s quite all right, Doctor Swan. It’s not like I mind your company all that much after this weekend.” 

Emma turned around with a wide grin, which only grew wider when she realized that the two of them were alone. Two steps took Emma into Regina’s personal space. “Good morning,” she whispered. “You’re a very nice sight for sore eyes. I really missed seeing you this morning.” It had been busy in the trauma unit from the moment their shift had started, and Regina had already been right in the thick of things when Emma and Pete had made it to work. She wondered if Regina had found her coffee. 

“Good morning.” Regina’s smile was genuine but small, the knowledge that they were at work always on her mind. “Thank you for the coffee.” 

Emma leaned in as if to kiss Regina but stopped herself at the last second when she remembered that the elevator doors could open at any time. She had no idea how Regina wanted to handle their relationship while at work but she had a feeling that Miami Trauma was nothing like Seattle Mercy Death in how people lived out their relationships in full view of their coworkers a lot of the time. “You’re welcome for the coffee,” she said quietly. “I’d really love to kiss you right now.” 

“Emma.” There was a warning in Regina’s low tone but her smile never left her face. “You know we’re at work … we can’t …” 

“I know,” Emma whined. “But we’re all alone in here, and I haven’t kissed you in about 19 hours … and you’re so beautiful this mor—“ 

Regina pressed a short, chaste kiss to Emma’s lips to stop her rambling. “This can’t happen all the time, Emma,” she whispered urgently after the kiss while leaning in at the same time. “I mean it … we have to behave professionally. If somebody caught wind of us … _this_ …” 

“I know,” Emma replied, pressing a kiss of her own to the tempting lips in front of her, making the best of Regina’s mixed messages. She loved that Regina thought of them as an _us_. “No on-call room quickies, got it.” 

“Definitely not,” Regina rasped. “I’ve never been much for _quickies_.” 

Emma leaned back in surprise at the inflection and just stared at Regina, her mind close to short-circuiting at the images her mind produced immediately — long afternoon _naps_ with Regina in on-call rooms, kisses and more shared at leisure — and she couldn’t stop the groan deep in her chest. She wanted to tell Regina that she couldn’t be made responsible for her actions if she said things like that but the words died in her throat when she saw the fire in Regina’s eyes. 

Regina could see the thoughts in Emma’s mind, she’d swear to that, and if anyone ever asked, she would claim that it was these thoughts and the way Emma focused on her lips, then licked her own in reflex, that made her twist her fists into Emma’s scrub top and pull her against her own body with a low growl. It was the unwavering hot stare, the desire she could see in Emma’s eyes she would blame for the desperate kiss, deep and hard, and for the way she shoved Emma against the wall and leaned right into her to kiss, kiss, kiss her until they were both breathing hard, their legs feeling like jelly. 

Emma went along with the kiss willingly, eagerly, giving back as good as she got. The file in her hand clattered to the floor as her hands curled into Regina’s hair. A moan bubbled up inside her as the kiss deepened even more, curling her toes and clenching her insides. 

Suddenly Regina jumped back from her as if burned, a mere second before the elevator dinged and the door opened with a light _swoosh,_ revealing a petite woman in nurse’s scrubs. Emma quickly bent down to stuff the scattered papers back inside the file she had dropped, using the moment to run one hand over her face to remove any traces of the kiss. 

And the dopey, lovestruck grin she undoubtedly wore. 

Regina shook her head as if to clear it, then bent down as well. “I’m so sorry I bumped into you, Doctor Swan,” she said a little louder than necessary. “Here, let me help you.” 

“No, it was my fault, Doctor Mills,” Emma played along. “I’m a klutz.” 

The nurse cleared her throat and rolled her eyes as she watched the two women try and cover up whatever they had been doing before. Badly. She wasn’t sure what _exactly_ she had interrupted, but just from their behavior right now she could probably come up with a good story for the water cooler crowd in the break room. 

Rumors were her specialty after all. 

Regina saw the look on Nurse Blanchard’s face and felt her heart sink. Of course it had to be the biggest gossip in the hospital who almost caught them kissing. She beat herself up for her loss of control — and it _was_ all on her, she knew — and tried to return the openly curious stare with as disinterested a look as she could muster. It didn’t matter, though — she could already see the kind of ideas the pixie-haired nuisance was coming up with in her head. She couldn’t believe she was almost caught kissing her gi— _Emma_ by the same person who almost got Myka removed from her team because of her relationship with HG. 

_Let’s hope Blanchard doesn’t put the pieces together,_ Regina hoped but there wasn’t much she could do in any case. All she _could_ do was stay as professional as possible, and try to weather the storm, if admin got wind of this. Just like she did when it was about Myka and Helena. 

Emma would just have to understand. 

Regina felt enormous relief when the elevator stopped at her floor. She stormed off into the ICU to check on one of her patients from the week before with only the curtest of nods to Nurse Blanchard, and not so much as a glance in Emma’s direction. 

Emma was still trying to get her brain to function properly but it was difficult when she was worried about Regina’s behavior at the same time. One second Regina had been kissing her like there was no tomorrow, the next she had looked like the world actually _had_ ended. Who _was_ this Nurse Blanchard and what had she done to Regina? 

“Hello,” the petite brunette said with an almost too-bright smile. “I’m Mary-Margaret Blanchard. I’m a nurse in the trauma unit.” 

“Emma Swan,” Emma replied carefully. The way Regina had reacted to this woman set her teeth on edge. “I’m—“ 

“Oh, I know,” Nurse Blanchard laughed lightly. “New members on alpha team are always big news around the water cooler.” She giggled. 

“Is that so,” Emma remarked evenly, still trying to figure the other woman out. She was probably nice enough but one of those people who were too interested in other people’s lives. 

“Yes,” Blanchard insisted. “I mean Doctor Mills is the youngest trauma chief in the country and from what I hear she’s one of the best too, so there are lots of eyes on her team. A lot of people would love to be on alpha … especially since that article called Regina and her team the _rock stars of medicine_.” 

_Of course she uses air quotes. Gotta find that article though._ “So you keep an eye on what goes on?” _Which translates to you’re the chief gossip here, and you’re probably jealous as hell. Which explains Regina’s reaction to you. Which also means that Regina will probably be extra careful now and we’re back to square one, so thank you very much, Nurse Blanchard._

Mary-Margaret Blanchard did not catch the bite in Emma’s tone and just nodded. “Well, there’s always something going on,” she explained. “What with Doctor Wells being gone for so long and then coming back and _still_ being allowed to work on the same team as her _wife_ … and then suddenly you appear.” 

_Yeah, juicy news._ The elevator stopped and Emma was happy to see it was her floor. She stepped half out before turning around with a fake wide, friendly smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Nurse Blanchard.” 

“You too, Doctor Swan.” 

“Try not to watch alpha team so much you forget what your actual job is, okay?” Emma commented in a mild, almost sweet tone, and she could see that the nurse needed a moment to hear the words and not just the tone. When she did, her face warped into a scowl, which was better than a false smile, Emma figured. _I hope I didn’t just make it worse._

The door closed behind her with a soft _swoosh_ , and Emma exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down to do her job. And to try to come up with a way to get Regina to relax again. There was no proof, they had plausible deniability, if they even needed that. 

She really should ask Myka if there was an employee manual for this place. Or maybe ask Pete for the cliff notes version of it. 

Before she could do either, however, her pager went off, informing her of multiple incoming traumas downstairs. 

—*—*— 

Regina hadn’t had any time to think about Emma and the kiss and being almost caught while she and her team were fighting for the lives of the two children who had been brought in after a boating accident. They had been tossed over board when the boat had run into a high wave, and by some freak accident had been drawn too close to the boat’s propeller. The injuries had been horrendous. 

Cases involving children were always hard on anybody but today it seemed to have been especially hard on Myka who had teamed up with Regina. They had worked on the little girl, managing to pull her back from the brink of death and stabilizing her vitals by sheer determination. She had lost both legs to the propeller but was now in the OR and stood a chance of recovery, if Regina had to place a bet. That girl was a fighter. 

Her older brother hadn’t been so lucky, his injuries too severe, and Regina had only managed to catch a quick glimpse of the broken look on Helena’s face before the other woman had disappeared. 

Now Regina was sitting in her favorite spot on the roof, camped out close to the edge so she could see the ocean, trying not to let the hurt over the loss of a young boy and his sister’s changed life overwhelm her. She pulled put her phone and just let her eyes and brain soak up the background image of a younger Henry, all bright eyes and wide smile, front teeth missing. He had been so proud that day, and the memory brought a much-needed smile to Regina’s face. 

“Does it help?” a soft voice asked. “Looking at his smile after a case like that?” 

Regina looked up, smile still on her face, and nodded. “It helps me, yes,” she replied equally as softly. “It makes me _smile_ , no matter what, and smiling always helps on days like these, I’ve found. You can’t cry hysterically when you’re smiling …” 

“I think you’re wrong there.” 

Regina now turned around completely. “I know the case was hard but the girl is going to make it, Myka,” she said. Then she studied the look on Myka’s face. She didn’t know her as well as she knew Helena, but she could see that the other woman was unusually upset. Especially given that she was normally one of the more stoic doctors she had ever met. “This is about more than just that little girl and her brother, isn’t it?” 

Myka nodded as she pulled over another folding chair and sank down. “May I?” She held out her hand, pointing at the phone. 

Regina shrugged as she activated the screen again and handed it over. “What’s going on, dear?” she asked, although she was beginning to have an idea. 

Myka ran a fingertip down Henry’s smiling face. “I want that one day,” she murmured after several long moments. “Children … or at least _a_ child … a family with Helena.” 

“Have you talked to Helena about that?” Regina asked, carefully keeping her voice neutrally interested. She could understand Myka’s wish, knew how wonderful children could be, but she also knew that it was a very sore topic for Helena. 

She also knew the reason why. 

What she didn’t know was if Myka knew it too, and if she _didn’t_ , then it certainly wasn’t her place to spill Helena’s secrets. One tenet of their long, long friendship had always been that they kept each other’s secrets. All of them, whatever they were. _Always_. 

“I tried,” Myka sighed. “But she doesn’t even want to talk about it.” Myka closed her eyes. “Whenever I broach the subject, she closes down … but she never gives me a reason.” 

Regina reached out and put her hand on Myka’s arm in silent comfort, but remained quiet. 

“I know some people just don’t want children, and that would be hard enough but it might be okay for me one day … but I don’t get the feeling that this is the case with Helena,” Myka continued after a couple of dry swallows. “I know she loves Henry so much … so it’s not that she doesn’t like kids.” 

“She _does_ love Henry very much,” Regina agreed. “She’s the perfect godmother for my little prince, and he loves her just as much.” 

“We had a fight about it yesterday and this morning,” Myka admitted. 

“Is that why I saw both your cars in the parking lot?” 

“Yeah, I was too angry to sit in a small metal box with her,” Myka nodded. “I was so …. aaargh … I was so angry because she just doesn’t _talk_ to me,” she offered. “Why doesn’t she talk to me?” 

Regina didn’t want to be in this position, she really didn’t, but she also couldn’t leave Myka hanging like this. “Myka,” she started gently. “Helena would never just freeze you out if she didn’t have a reason. She loves you so much … you need to trust that. I know it hurts but I’m really not the right person to talk to … you need to keep talking to Helena.” 

“How am I supposed to talk to Helena if she keeps ….” Myka suddenly stopped and searched Regina’s face. “You _know_ ,” she whispered, her voice showing shock. And then she barked out a brittle laugh. “Of course you know why Helena doesn’t want children,” she said bitterly. “You know my wife so much better than I do, after all.” 

Myka moved to get up but Regina held her back. “Myka,” she said gently, rubbing her arm in a comforting gesture. “I’ve known Helena longer than you but I definitely don’t know her _better_.” 

“Then why do you know something that I don’t?” Myka hissed. “About something that I _should_ know?” She wrested her arm from Regina’s grip and walked away. “Don’t I have the right to know why my wife doesn’t want a family with me?” 

Regina jumped up as well. “Myka,” she called out after her. “Don’t give up on her, please. She loves you so much … and she needs you.” 

Myka stopped but didn’t turn around. “I need her too,” she replied. “But I also need to be treated as an equal. She _needs_ to talk to me.” 

“Keep talking to her,” Regina urged, then added against her better judgement, “I’ll try to talk to her as well.” 

Myka nodded and left without another word. 

Regina exhaled and went back to her chair. She really needed to have a talk with Helena about all of this. She never would have said this to Myka, but she completely agreed with her: Myka deserved to know why Helena was so broken about this issue. 

When she sat down again, she saw that Myka had remembered to leave her phone behind. Regina activated the screen and went to her photo app, looking for a specific photo, hidden in a subfolder. 

Then she sat on the roof, Looking at the photo of Emma, fresh out of the water in her borrowed half wetsuit, smiling widely as she held up her snorkeling gear. 

Regina smiled but it was bittersweet. 


	8. Episode 4 - Part 2: Somebody's Watching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just taking them out for a nice AU spin around the block.
> 
> A/N: I'm sorry the second part of this episode took so long but I basically wrote it three times because I wasn't happy with previous versions. This part of the episode turned out more SQ-heavy than planned or expected but Helena and Myka asked for some privacy to discuss their issues. What was I to do? All in all, it did turn into a pretty long update, however, so I hope that makes up for the long wait. 
> 
> A/N 2: Please don't kill me.
> 
> A/N 3: This concludes episode 4. Episode 5 will come at some point but it might be a while, depending on my muse's mood.

**Episode 4 — Part 2: Somebody’s Watching**

Regina almost expected Emma to show up on the roof next and she wasn't sure whether she was relieved or disappointed when she didn't. Her mind told her to see it as a good thing that Emma was keeping her distance, obviously accepting her need for space, but there was a little twinge in her chest nonetheless when she wondered if her reaction to Mary-Margaret Blanchard had ruined everything. 

_Way to overreact,_ Regina admonished herself but she hadn't been able to help herself at that moment. Seeing the way that gossip-mongering nurse was watching them had her in a panic because she was absolutely certain that even a blind person would be able to tell that she had just tried to kiss Emma Swan senseless in an elevator. At work. 

_Well,_ Regina sighed. If Emma wasn't going to show up to distract her from her thoughts, she might as well go and find Helena for a talk she dreaded but knew was needed. It was a good thing she knew exactly where her old friend was most probably hiding, both from her demons and the well-deserved wrath of her spouse. 

As expected, Regina found Helena in the tiny storage room on the fourth floor that nobody ever seemed to use. It was empty apart from an old metal shelf and a couple of buckets of _something_ , and as far as Regina could tell, she and Helena had been the only people who had ever used it in the time since Regina had found it in her early days at Miami Trauma. She wondered if the existence of this room, this hiding spot was another thing Helena had neglected to share with Myka. 

"I haven't been in here in years," Regina commented mildly once she had slid down the wall to sit next to Helena. 

Helena looked up to snort at Regina. "That's because you basically live on the roof, Darling," she said softly. "You're hiding out in the open these days." 

"True," Regina shrugged. After a pause she added, "I was hoping you'd join me there today, especially if you needed to talk." 

Helena gave her a long look that told Regina her meaning had been been understood. "Thanks ... but I needed some time to deal," she murmured, "and I had a feeling that Myka would have looked there first." She raised her eyebrow in question. 

Regina simply nodded in reply. 

"Well, it's a surprise then that she hasn't come here yet." 

_That answers that question,_ Regina thought with some relief. "She's upset, Helena, and understandably so. Did you think the topic would never come up?" Regina managed to raise her voice somehow while still whispering. 

Helena shot her a wounded look but all she did was shrug. 

"How could you never tell her?" Regina wondered aloud. "Were you planning on keeping that secret forever?" 

"No." Helena leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "I always meant to tell her but it was never the right time." 

Regina stared at her. "The _right_ _time_?" 

"Yes, Regina, the right time," H.G. bit out. "When is the right time for stories like that, hm? Tell me, when are you planning on sharing your secrets with Emma?" 

"That's not the same thing and you know it," Regina hissed. "I barely know Emma. You’re _married_ to Myka." 

"Oh, come off it, Mills," H.G. snorted. "Don't pretend Emma's not the first person to crack your defenses since Daniel. I'd bet all my money on you and Emma lasting for a good long while _if_ you allow it." 

Regina stared at her open-mouthed for a second before shaking her head. "I will share my secrets when the time is right ... should Emma and I ever get that far." 

"Exactly," Helena muttered grimly. "And when do you think that might be? Are you going to surprise her on your first date with the news that your mother killed the father of your child and that she's still out there somewhere, so you will never feel completely safe? Or is that tidbit something more for the third date? The fifth? Your first anniversary? Because that's just as big a thing." 

She took a breath but didn't let Regina say anything before she continued. "Did you expect me to just tell Myka — maybe over dinner at some point —that I once had a child and lost it? That I was pregnant from a drunken one-night stand and hated it? Hated _her_ , didn't want her because I was a teenager and it ruined my plans or so I thought? And then when my body forced her out so early … _too_ early, much, much too early and she fought so hard, fought for every breath, every heartbeat, every hour ..." Her voice broke as she dissolved into sobs. "She was so tiny and so sick … and I l-loved her so much and w-wanted her ... just when I finally found out I loved her with all my heart ..." A shuddering breath. "S-she died … and and and—” 

“Sshhh, I know.” Regina pulled Helena into her arms just like she had the day Christina had died, holding her, comforting her, helpless to do anything but making the same soft noises that she also used with Henry. There was nothing she could say that she hadn't tried to say a thousand times before. She had been there from the beginning, had been at Helena's side from day one. 

"I need to tell Myka, don’t I?” Helena rasped after long, long moments when she had her sobs under control and was breathing a little easier. “I just don’t know how, Regina … I missed the point when I should have told her … she’s going to hate me now … she’s well within her right to do so … but I couldn't bear it if she left me because of my stupidity." 

Regina continued to run her hand through Helena's hair in a soothing motion. "I think she has a right to know, yes," she agreed softly. "She _wants_ children, Helena, and right now she doesn't understand why that topic tears your soul to pieces. You don't even talk to her about it and she doesn't know what to think. But she’s not going to hate you if you explain it to her.” 

"How can I explain to the woman I love that I couldn't bear it if something like that happened again?" Helena asked, sounding much younger than she was. "I couldn't go through that again. You know how hard it was for me to allow myself to love Myka ..." 

Regina chuckled. "You never stood a chance, George," she remarked, using her old boarding school nickname for her friend. 

"Don't call me that, Reggie!" 

"Ew." Regina shuddered at H.G.'s retort. "Point taken." She smiled at Helena who looked a little better now. "There are other options, you know," she added softly, seriously. "You could adopt ... there are so many kids out there who need a good home." 

"I don't know if that was something that Myka would want ... what if she actually wants to carry a child? Or wants me to carry one … I couldn’t … I can’t do that.” 

"You'll never know if you don't talk to her," Regina pointed out. "Find out together what it is you _both_ want and need. There has to be a way you can both be happy." 

Helena sighed deeply as she sat up to try and put herself back together again. They were lucky as it was that there hadn't been any traumas while they were talking. H.G. knew this peace couldn't last much longer. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Regina's voice was full of concern and love. 

Helena nodded and pulled Regina into a strong, tight hug. "Thank you for kicking my ass," she whispered. 

"I wouldn't dare to kick your ass," Regina laughed lightly. “I’m sure you could kill me with just your index finger alone." 

"Thumb actually," H.G. corrected with a smirk, holding up her thumbs and wiggling them. "Seriously though … thank you, old friend." 

"Any time." Regina stood and stretched. "Want me to send Myka up here so you can talk? Or so you can at least let her know that you’re going to talk?" 

Helena looked up in surprise. "I'm quite certain we're already pushing our luck here." 

"Unless there are multiple traumas Emma and I can handle it for a while," Regina offered. "You can take a little time to grovel and apologize to your wife." 

Helena nodded. "Thanks ... if Myka would be okay with it ... yes, that would be good. I can't stand it when she's angry at me ... makes me sick to my stomach." 

Regina pulled out her phone and dialed. "Are you busy?" she asked quickly. "Would you mind coming up to the fourth floor? There's a small storage ... yes, that room." Something in Myka's response made her look at Helena with a spiked eyebrow as she ended the call. "She's coming up ... good luck, George." 

Regina turned and walked away. At the door, she was stopped by a few mumbled words from her friend. 

"Let's hope the good times we had in here will help with Myka's mood." 

Regina left quickly, deciding she really didn't need to know any more. And it was only then that she realized that she just condemned herself to working with Emma for the next little while. 

_So much for keeping my distance._

—*—*— 

Emma handed Pete the chart she had just signed when she saw Nurse Blanchard over his shoulder. "Ugh." 

Pete looked up, then over his shoulder when he saw where Emma was looking. "I take it you already had the pleasure of meeting Blanchard?" 

"Yeah," Emma muttered. “She ran into Regina and me earlier in one of the elevators and it was as if a sudden ice age had descended on Miami." 

“I’m not surprised.” Pete paused, then leaned closer to Emma. “Listen,” he urged. “I usually don’t tell people what to do but I’m going to give you one piece of advice: stay away from that woman no matter how friendly she pretends to be to your face. She’s bad news.” 

“She did try to be nice to me once Regina was gone,” Emma admitted, “but there was _such_ a weird vibe going on between her and Regina. It sounded as if she was jealous of the whole team.” 

"You have no idea," Pete replied. "She's a jealous gossip who thinks she’s better than the other nurses here.” He made a face. “Which is not even close to the truth.” 

“Better than you?” Emma chuckled. “Was she one of the nurses you went on a date with?” 

“Don’t remind me.” Pete winced. “God, that was a disaster.” He shook himself like a wet dog. 

"What's her beef with Regina?" Emma asked in a whisper. 

"It's not just Regina ..." Pete cleared his throat. "She has a problem with the whole team." He leaned in closer. "I think a lot of it is just jealousy that she's not working on the best team but ..." He paused. 

"But?" 

“But the team is also pretty unusual … and not just because it’s tough to get in.” 

“Because all four doctors are women?” 

Pete nodded. “And gay.” 

“Don’t know about the others, but I’m actually bisexual.” 

“But this morning you said your interests lie elsewhere …” Pete looked confused. 

Emma shrugged. “It was easier than trying to explain that I like you but I have no interest in dating you, okay?” she told him a little defensively. “Besides I’m … sort of involved with someone.” 

“Why didn’t you just say so?” Pete smiled. “I don’t touch where I’m not wanted … I can keep my paws to myself.” 

“Damn, you’re a pretty good guy,” Emma said with a smile. “There should be more of you.” 

“I’ve offered my body to science for cloning but they said no,” Pete said with a straight face. “They said there weren’t enough cookies in the world to feed an army of Pete clones.” 

Emma laughed out loud, drawing curious stares, especially from Nurse Blanchard. “Anyway, you were telling me what that nurse did to the team.” 

“Yeah … When Myka and H.G. first started dating and things got serious between them, Blanchard and Holy Mary — she was the doctor you replaced in a roundabout way — went up to HR to complain about their _conduct_ ," Pete explained in a low tone, using audible air quotes around his last word. "According to them, they caught Myka and H.G. having “sexual relations” in on-call rooms at two separate occasions … which was another lie by the way.” He smirked. “Myka and H.G. don’t use on-call rooms,” he scoffed. “There are much better places for a little workplace R&R if you know your way around the hospital.“ 

_Well, that certainly explains why Regina went into freak-out mode earlier. A bigot-free workplace in the south was probably too much to hope for._ "What business was that of hers, even if it had been true? At Seattle Mercy Death things like that happen all the time." 

"Good for the people there," Pete grinned. “Personally, I don’t think Blanchard has a problem with gay people … I think her plan was to get one of them shafted from the team so her boyfriend could get the spot." 

"Ouch, that's low," Emma whistled. "But obviously that didn't happen." 

“Nope, the good Doctor Nolan is still working in the ER next door, and quite happily so according to him,” Pete replied. "Regina went to bat for Mykes and H.G.,” he continued. "Nobody knows what she told admin or what she had to agree to but she managed to clear things up." 

"And now they're actually married," Emma mused. 

"Yep, although it's not like they're advertising the fact.” 

"You think Nurse Blanchard is still looking to make trouble for Regina and the team?" Emma had horrible visions of being ignored at work because of that gossiping nurse forever. 

Pete gave her a curious look. "If she thought she had half an excuse? In a heartbeat." 

Their pagers went off, alerting them to a new incoming trauma case. “Bike vs. car, three minutes out,” Pete read out in reflex. “Where’s the boss?” 

The elevator door opened to one side of the central nurse’s station. “There she is,” Emma said, trying hard not to smile at the sight. 

“Oh, no,” Pete groaned as his eyes went from Regina back to Emma. “Don’t tell me you have a crush on the boss already.” 

Apparently, Emma couldn’t stop her smile even if she tried her hardest. “Nah, don’t worry,” she replied, turning to Pete. “It’s not a crush.” 

—*—*— 

“When the page said bike vs. car I really didn’t expect the guy on our table to be the one driving the car,” Emma muttered as she dug deeper into the man’s huge torso. “Or that we’d be treating a gunshot wound.” 

Regina grunted, busy trying to repair the damage to the patient’s upper chest. “If the cyclist had restrained himself to one shot, our guy here would be much better off.” 

“What is it with Miami and guns?” Emma asked plaintively. 

“Not used to that in Seattle?” Pete asked as he handed her a fresh swab. 

“I need more suction in here,” she told him, before shaking her head. “We did have some cases in Seattle but not nearly as many.” 

“There’s a pretty huge drug scene down here, and we’re the closest trauma center to downtown,” Regina explained calmly while pushing two fingers into the hole in the patient’s chest with a grimace that could be seen even over her mask. “We’re also the highest-rated trauma center in the region, so EMTs know to bring the worst cases here. Ha!” With a wet sucking sound, her finger emerged from the hole, a bullet clenched between them. “Finally.” 

“Got it?” Emma asked. “I’m still digging through his intestines.” 

“Well, there’s a lot more mass down there to dig through,” Regina commented. “Need some help?” 

Emma considered the offer for a second, wondering if that was another kind of test. “I think I can handle it,” she said confidently, just as her fingers touched something hard. “There you are, you elusive little fucker,” she muttered under her breath as she clamped the area to retrieve the bullet. Once she had pulled it out, she let it drop into the bowl Pete provided for her with a metallic _clank_. 

“That’s two for two,” Regina said, smile audible. “Good job, Doctor Swan.” 

Their eyes met over the large body between them and everything seemed to slow down around them until the loud beeping of the monitor pulled them out of the moment. “Thank you,” Emma said, feeling almost shy for some reason, and she swore she felt her cheeks heat up under Regina’s steady gaze. “I think we’re done here. I’ll better start packing this guy for surgery.” She turned to Pete. “Can you alert the OR? We’ll have him ready for them in ten.” 

“Let them know they’ll need vascular as well as general,” Regina added over her shoulder as she walked out of the trauma suite without a backwards glance. 

When Emma was done and the second nurse had left as well, Pete gave Emma a look. “What was that about?” he asked, voice filled with sympathy. “Is the boss still not talking to you unless she has to?” 

Emma pulled off her gloves more forcefully than strictly necessary. After the moment they had shared just a few minutes ago — admittedly over an open body — she really hadn’t expected Regina to just leave without a word. Was this where the avoidance started anew? Emma knew she’d go crazy if Regina started to pretend she hated her again just because of some stupid fear of gossip. _Regina is just being paranoid — it’s not like everybody can see just from looking at us that we have feelings for each other._

She sighed and gave Pete a half shrug. “Frankly, I’m not sure.” 

_But I sure as hell am going to go and find out._

—*—*— 

Myka curled her arms around Helena as her wife cried mostly silent tears into her curls. Myka was exhausted, not just from a restless night and the fighting, but also from the emotions that were hammering at her from all sides. 

“Can you say something?” Helena whispered roughly, her breath stirring Myka’s curls. “Anything? Are we going to be okay?” 

Myka huffed but ran one hand through Helena’s hair. She knew she had to address the fear in her wife’s voice first. “We’re going to be okay … but it’s going to take some …” Her voice tapered off on a shaky breath. “You had a _daughter_ , Helena,” she rasped, still not sure she could believe everything Helena had told her. “And you never told me about her … you let this grow and fester until it hurt both of us …” 

“I d-didn’t know how to tell you.” 

Myka sighed. “That’s what I can’t understand … what hurts. Have I really made you feel like you couldn’t tell me anything?” 

“No, I know,” H.G. replied quickly. “It’s just … how do you tell someone that you killed your own child?” 

There it was again, the self-loathing that had been beneath all of the things Helena had told her about Christina and what had happened. “But … didn’t you say she was born prematurely, and with a congenital heart defect? _You_ didn’t do that … we both know these things happen sometimes.” 

“I didn’t want her, Myka,” Helena insisted, sitting up a little. “I hated her and wanted her gone … I could just as well have killed her with my bare hands. I just let my faulty uterus do it for me.” 

“Oh, Helena.” Myka pulled H.G. into a tight embrace. “That’s not how nature works, and you know that. I know you feel guilty but you loved her, darling, and you never really dealt with the pain.” 

“Oh, I’ve dealt with it all right,” H.G. muttered darkly. 

Myka had a sudden epiphany. “Christina’s death is the reason you joined the army, isn’t it?” 

H.G. nodded. “Mostly … they made me an offer to pay for med school if I joined them for a time. They approached me about a week after Christina died, and it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.” 

“What did Regina say about that?” Myka asked, mainly out of curiosity. 

H.G. snorted. “What _didn’t_ she say?” She shook her head. “She hated the thought … she tried everything she could to get me to stay and go to med school with her here in the States, just like we’d planned.” 

“You got into Columbia pre-med and let it go to go to _Afghanistan_?” Myka couldn’t contain her shock. 

H.G. nodded. “It’s not like Cambridge is anything to sniff at … and I did come to the States for my internship.” 

“And I’m very glad you did,” Myka said gently. “We’re not done talking about this … and I mean _all_ of it but …” 

“We have to get back to work,” H.G. reluctantly agreed. She knew they were both still feeling out of sorts, and probably would until they had the time to really reconnect and talk. Helena knew she was being selfish but what she really wanted was to _feel_ Myka. “Can I kiss you?” she asked quietly, holding her breath afterwards. 

Myka cupped her face in both hands and nodded before leaning in and gently brushing their mouths together in a couple of butterfly kisses. Helena groaned in relief and Myka’s body reacted like it always did when her wife made this kind of sound. It didn’t matter that they were fighting — _had been_ fighting — her body still responded to Helena’s closeness. Myka drew back and bit her lip. “Promise me we’ll talk tonight.” 

“I promise,” H.G. replied immediately. “As long as—“ 

“Work allows, I know.” 

“Are we really going to be okay, Myka?” H.G. asked once again as she got up and stretched her stiff muscles. 

“Helena, the fact that I’m mad and hurt doesn’t mean I stop loving you all of a sudden,” Myka said patiently, wiping her hands over her wife’s face to make sure she didn’t look like she had spent the last hour or so crying. “So yes, we’re going to be okay.” She let her hands drop. “You look presentable … how about me?” 

H.G. gave her a crooked smile and removed a bit of smudged mascara from under Myka’s right eye with her thumb. “Beautiful as always.” 

—*—*— 

Regina left the trauma suite and walked toward the nurses’ station in the middle of the trauma center to sign the admission chart and trauma report and drop it there. She stilled, feeling eyes on her but when she looked up and around she couldn’t see anybody who was watching her specifically. There were the usual number of nurses scuttling about, a couple of doctors she knew and one she didn’t who was studying a chart, and a few people she assumed were relatives of patients. She had almost expected Nurse Blanchard to be there, watching with her beady eyes and fake smile, but she was nowhere in sight. 

Regina shook her head and went back to her chart but she couldn’t shake the feeling entirely. It was probably a really good thing that she had a ten-minute head start on Emma and wasn’t tempted to just stand here and stare at the woman like they had just now in the trauma suite over a patient’s body. _Maldita sea!_ Why on earth couldn’t she take her eyes off Emma when they were in the same room? She’d never had that problem before, not even with Daniel who had been the only person she had ever actually loved. But this … _thing_ … with Emma was threatening her equilibrium in a big way, not to mention her professional standing if she couldn’t get this under control, couldn’t get _herself_ under control. Not to mention Emma who didn’t seem to grasp the problem. 

“Problem?” Emma asked, standing next to her suddenly. 

Regina stared at her — _again_ — and wondered if she had actually spoken aloud. _Jesus,_ Emma was driving her crazy. 

“It’s just … you were standing here frowning pretty hard at the chart,” Emma explained. “Did we miss something?” 

Regina shook her head. _Snap out of it, dammit._ “No, everything’s fine,” she croaked. “I have to go … we shouldn’t be seen together … this _close_ together.” 

She fled through the nearest door and ran up the stairs. Emma stared after her for only a second before she followed her at a sprint, drawing everyone’s attention. Emma was a runner, and her long legs ate up the stairs at a fast pace. She stopped on the next landing to listen for Regina’s steps but there were not footsteps above her. With a determined look, Emma pushed through the door to the second floor, one of the surgical floors. 

Emma looked to the left and could see Regina walking at a brisk clip. Emma huffed and jogged a few paces until she was almost caught up to her, then slowed down a little so as to not draw any attention in case someone came out of one of the ORs. “Regina, wait,” she said, breathless from frustration more than from running a few steps. 

Regina slowed down a little, possibly unconsciously, allowing Emma to close the distance between them completely. “What is it, Doctor Swan?” she asked acerbically but quietly. “I have work to do.” 

“Up here?” Emma couldn’t bite back the sarcastic question, knowing at once it was the wrong choice. “Sorry,” she muttered. “Please talk to me.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” 

Emma’s eyes wandered to her left and she saw they were just passing a door to an on-call room. Praying it was empty, she took Regina’s elbow, opened the door and pulled the other woman inside the room. _Phew, empty._

“What the hell, Emma?” Regina complained in a hiss. 

“At least you’re not calling me _Doctor Swan_ ,” Emma hissed back, feeling the end of her patience coming quickly. “Talk to me, Regina,” she said a little more calmly after a breath. 

“You can’t just drag me into a room when you feel like it.” Regina’s eyes were blazing. “This is exactly what I’ve been talking about. We’re at work!” 

“You keep saying that,” Emma blurted out. “But we haven’t really talked about anything.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You kiss me, then push me away … and when we talk you suddenly run away? I didn’t even _do_ anything just now,” she whispered. “I just asked a _professional_ question. You’re being paranoid.” 

“Emma …” Regina knew Emma was right but her throat was so tight that she couldn’t get any more words through. 

Emma took Regina by the shoulders. “I don’t know what to do here, Regina,” she sighed. “This back and forth is driving me crazy …” 

“You’re not the only one,” Regina whispered. She looked everywhere but at the woman standing only inches away from her. “I feel like everybody’s watching me … like they can all tell … and I can’t have that …” 

“Does this have something to do with what that nurse and that doctor tried to do to H.G. and Myka?” Emma consciously gentled her voice. 

Regina’s eyes found Emma’s. “You know about that?” 

Emma nodded. “Pete told me … he said you solved the situation, though.” 

Regina snorted. “I threatened to quit, which only worked because there had just been an article in the press about our team that built us up into some kind of heroes.” 

“The rock stars of medicine?” 

Regina winced. “You read it?” 

Emma shook her head. “No, but I absolutely intend to as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.” 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Admin decided after that article that I’d be the perfect public face of Miami Trauma,” she continued. “Which means it wouldn’t have looked too great if I’d quit a month later over Helena and Myka, so they agreed to let us continue to do our jobs.” 

Emma saw Regina hesitate. “But?” 

“The unspoken understanding was that we’d all be on our best behavior,” Regina admitted. “Especially me. No scandals of any kind.” 

“Regina, were not a scandal,” Emma protested. 

“And I’d like to keep it that way.” Regina sighed. “I don’t know how to do this under everyone’s eyes … I feel like I’m being watched, have felt like it all day.” She shivered at the thought of people’s eyes on her. “Emma, I’m your superior — do you know how potentially scandalous that is? What if you decide to sue me for harassment?” 

“I’d never do that! How could you even think that?” 

“I don’t … not really,” Regina conceded. “But the people in admin? They will definitely go there.” 

“Okay, so we have to be careful at work,” Emma said reasonably, suddenly afraid that Regina was going to try and end their relationship before it had a chance to really start. “No PDAs in public and … I’ll work exclusively with Helena.” 

“Because that won’t look suspicious at all,” Regina snorted. 

Emma cupped Reina’s cheek. “It’ll look like we hate each other, just like it did for the first week.” 

“I don’t hate you, though.” Regina pressed her cheek harder into Emma’s palm. “That’s half the problem.” 

“I’ve noticed … but I’m willing to pretend as long as I can still look at you the way I want to when we’re alone like this. ” 

“I can barely look at you without …” 

“Without doing this?” Emma leaned in and pressed her lips against Regina’s in a gentle kiss. “I feel the same way,” she whispered against Regina’s mouth before going back for another kiss, this one not nearly as chaste as the first, although it was still almost unbearably gentle. 

Emma pinned Regina against the door with the weight of her body, deepening the kiss with soft strokes of her tongue against Regina’s who sighed into the kiss. Emma bit back a moan. For now she would accept this and hope for the best. She didn’t have much of a choice. 

Their kiss was interrupted by a pager going off. “It’s mine,” Regina mumbled as she looked at it while running a finger around her mouth to remove any traces of their kiss. “Damn …” 

“What?” Emma asked a little breathlessly. 

“I told you there were eyes on me today,” Regina sighed,holding up the pager in disgust. “I’m wanted upstairs asap.” 

Emma looked down at Regina’s pager and had no trouble reading the page.“Who is Mrs. Frederic?” 

“Chief admin of the Trauma Center.” 

Regina moved to leave but Emma held her back. “We can do this, okay?” 

Regina nibbled on her bottom lip for a second before she nodded but Emma could easily read the doubts in her eyes. Then Regina surprised Emma by leaning in and giving her a short, chaste kiss, more sweet and tender than Emma would have expected in this situation. Before she could respond, Regina withdrew and left. 

Emma waited a few minutes before following, smiling slightly when the hallway was empty. 

—*—*— 

Emma looked up from her paperwork when she felt eyes on her, but the team’s break room remained as empty as before. She shook her head as she got up to grab another coffee. On instinct her feet carried her to the glass door but all she could see in the hallway of the trauma center was the usual hustle and bustle, and the feeling of being watched vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. 

She walked to the back of the room where the industrial-sized coffee pot was slowly turning coffee into tar. _Either I’m being just as paranoid as Regina or there really is someone here who keeps watching us._ Emma poured herself some coffee, took one sip, cringed, and tossed it into the sink. _Jesus fuck, this is horrible. If Ruby hired a couple of teenagers to do coffee deliveries to this hospital alone she’d be rich._

She remembered seeing a coffee cart out front that morning and decided that would have to do in lieu of Ruby’s _cubano_. _Better than nothing._ She pulled a couple of bills from the khakis in her locker and headed towards the already imagined taste of coffee. 

Outside, she enjoyed the afternoon sun for a moment before shading her eyes to spot the coffee cart, which was mostly hidden from view by a crowd of people around it. _Looks like half the hospital is in need of a caffeine fix right now._

She had only taken a few steps in the right direction when she felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up. _Again._ Her eyes quickly and surreptitiously moved around the small square but most people were just silhouettes in the glaring sunlight. A few quick steps to the right brought Emma into the shade and allowed her to see the people around her better. She spotted a few doctors and nurses she’d seen around the hospital in the few days she’d been there and a few people she’d never seen before but none of them were paying her any attention. Still, the feeling remained. _I guess I shouldn’t have called Regina paranoid …_

Emma spotted Pete talking animatedly to a nurse she seemed to remember from their trauma suite earlier. She was a petite redhead and quite beautiful. _Good for Pete,_ Emma thought as she ambled closer, her senses still mostly tuned into the world around her. 

“Seriously, dude, do you want in on that bet or not?” Emma heard the redhead say. 

Pete chuckled. “What’s the going rate?” 

“People are betting between ten and twenty.” 

“Odds?” 

“Same as always: best odds are on a public kiss by the end of the week,” the redhead said, lowering her voice so much that Emma had trouble hearing it. “A … of people … bet on … laid by the … of …” 

The hairs at the back of Emma’s neck were standing at full attention now. The feeling of being watched in combination with this conversation had her very close to believing that Regina was right about this place. 

She could hear Pete laugh at something Redhead said. “I’m willing to risk five bucks,” he said. “Put me down for a kiss by the end of the month. She’s slow like that.” 

_Who were they talking about?_ Emma shook her head. Suddenly Pete was waving at her to come over. 

“Hey, Swan,” he said. “You want in on this bet?” 

Emma walked up to the two nurses. “What bet?” she asked suspiciously, 

“Claude here is running a bet on when Dr. Whale is finally going after Dr. Rodriguez,” Pete explained. 

Emma almost sagged in relief. “Who is Whale?” she asked. “Or Rodriguez?” 

“Whale is one of the attending plastic surgeons,” the redhead told her. “He does a lot of lac repairs for our trauma cases. Rodriguez is one of his interns.” 

“He makes really pretty sutures,” Pete added. “But he’s a total player — goes for all his interns and nurses if they don’t run fast enough.” 

_Well, that sounded familiar._ “Must be the specialty he’s chosen … I knew one just like that in Seattle. He was a good guy though.” 

Pete chuckled. “The bet’s not really all that serious … it’s our way of collecting funds for actual, good coffee,” he explained. “Whale is chasing after a new lady every month, and they all know about him and avoid him like the plague.” 

“So we run this bet every month,” Redhead said. “Even Whale places bets … he always puts a twenty down for the best possible outcome. He hates the regular coffee they provide here as much as everybody else, and he does have a sense of humor.” 

“That’s good,” Emma grinned, holding out her hand. “By the way, I’m Emma Swan. Nice to meet you.” 

“Claudia Donovan,” the nurse replied with a wide smile. “Welcome to Miami Trauma.” She turned to Pete. “Your bucks, man … I gotta get back to work.” 

Pete handed her a bill with a grin, then watched her run back inside. 

“So,” Emma drawled as she joined the line at the coffee cart with Pete, “is she one of the ones you’ve dated?” 

“Claudia?” Pete asked. “Please, Emma … she’s way too young for me. I mean, I’m not that old but … nah, that’s more Whale’s style. She’s like a sister to me.” 

“Like Myka?” Emma had noticed the bond between the two. 

Pete nodded. “And Helena and Regina, although they’d both probably threaten me with something shiny and sharp if they knew I considered them sisters.” 

Emma laughed. “I doubt it, Pete.” She gave him a sideways look. “What about me?” 

“Getting there, Swan,” he grinned. “Getting there.” 

—*—*— 

Helena left the trauma suite and automatically looked at the big clock at the wall up ahead. “Looks like we’re getting out of here at a decent time tonight,” she commented with a grin. “The guys from beta are just rolling in.” 

Emma smiled back. “That’s the first time that happened since I started here.” She rolled her shoulders. “Maybe I can get Regina to have dinner with me before she heads home … Wanna come with?” 

Helena smiled but shook her head no. “Sorry but I promised Myka some quiet time tonight,” she sighed. “And I think you and Regina don’t actually need our presence on your first date.” 

Emma’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t … Damn, you’re right. It could be seen as a date, couldn’t it? Not that I don’t want to take her on a date but I had actually planned on something nicer than a drink and dinner after work.” 

“Take what you can get, Swan,” Helena suggested, “and don't think too hard. Besides, you haven’t even asked her yet.” 

“Asked who what?” Myka fell in step with them as they rounded the corner to the team’s lounge. 

“Ask Re—“ Emma fell silent when she saw the object of her affection sitting at the desk, stacks of paperwork surrounding her. 

“Ah,” Myka muttered. “Gotcha.” 

Regina looked up when she heard her team come in. “How did it go?” 

“Pretty straightforward for once,” Helena replied. “The patient’s going to make it, even if one of his kidneys won’t.” 

“I wish we could have just one day without gunshot wounds,” Emma said as she sank down onto the sofa. 

“Welcome to trauma, Doctor Swan,” Regina replied tersely but Emma could see the corners of her mouth twitch. Why on earth was her title such a turn-on when it came from this woman? “Plus, it’s Miami. That combination pretty much guarantees us at least one gunshot wound per day. And if it’s not guns—“ 

“It’s knives,” Myka finished. 

“Boats and cars,” Helena threw in. 

Emma grinned. “Yeah, that’s what I got from my first week here.” 

“Wait until you get your first alligator accident,” Regina added with a smile. “Now, those are interesting.” 

“Can’t wait,” Emma muttered, although her face said the exact opposite. 

“Freak hurricane accidents are also pretty good as far as interesting goes,” Myka mused aloud. 

“True,” Helena agreed. “Remember that guy who was hurled through the air for about 30 feet, then crashed into a palm tree?” 

Myka and Regina nodded. Emma gaped. “What the hell?” 

“He decided it was a good idea to take a walk in a cat 5 hurricane,” Myka explained. “By the time he was brought in, it was almost too late. It’s a miracle he survived at all.” 

“Wow,” Emma muttered. 

“Anyway,” Regina said as she closed the file she had been working on. “Looks like we’re done here for the day. Can’t even remember when the last time was _that_ happened …” 

“Two years ago, I think,” Helena replied. “Give or take a month.” 

Emma was itching to ask Regina about her trip to admin, she just didn’t know whether she should do it now or over dinner. _If she says yes to dinner._ Her eyes met Helena’s who promptly stood and walked straight to her locker. 

“We’re out of here then,” Helena said with a wink in Emma’s direction. “Myka and I could use a quiet night at home.” 

Regina gave them both a knowing smile. “Make the most of it.” Her voice was teasing but her eyes were serious. 

Myka nodded as she grabbed her things from the locker and changed quickly into jeans and a shirt. By the time she was done, Helena was already waiting in cargo shorts and a t-shirt. 

“Have a good night yourselves, ladies,” H.G. said as she took Myka’s hand and pulled her gently towards the door. 

Then Regina and Emma were alone, and Emma was suddenly inexplicably nervous. She swallowed hard as silence settled around them, only sporadically broken by the usual hospital noises filtering in through the door. 

Regina watched Emma, surprised that the other woman suddenly seemed shy. She had fully expected Emma to make use of the opportunity, but when the silence became thicker and thicker around them, Regina decided to just go home. She had enough to think about as it was without wondering why Emma suddenly seemed unable to talk to her. “Right then,” she said as she stood. “I guess I’m going home as well.” 

That spurred Emma into action. “No, please,” she said as she rushed over to Regina’s side and dragged her into the corner where their lockers were, the one part of the room which couldn’t be seen from the outside. 

“So you _can_ still speak,” Regina commented. 

“Yeah, sorry about that …” Emma replied with a slight blush. “It’s been sort of a weird day.” She looked at Regina who was regarding her patiently. _Come on, Swan, say something._ “I wondered if … since we’ve been let off for good behavior today, it seems … if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight? You know, just something simple but together … not even a date, just a quick bite at Ruby’s? I—“ 

“Emma,” Regina interrupted with a gentle smile. “You’re rambling.” 

“I might be,” Emma admitted. “Not really sure why … I just want to … I’d just like to spend a little time with you outside of work, and tonight seems perfect and then I go and be an idiot …” 

“Breathe.” Regina patted Emma’s collarbone. “It _is_ perfect,” she replied simply. “Mondays are Cuban nights at Ruby’s and their cook is actually pretty good.” 

“I don’t think I’ve had anything Cuban before,” Emma said, trying hard not to let her smile break her face. “Does that mean you’ll have dinner with me?” 

“It means I’ll have to teach you about Cuban food,” Regina corrected. “And just to make it clear: this isn’t a date. All right?” 

_Feels like one,_ Emma thought, but nodded nonetheless. “Don’t worry, our first date will be a little more fancy than Ruby’s.” 

_I don’t need fancy, I’ve had fancy all my life._ “Don’t let Ruby hear you say that.” Regina opened her locker. “Are you planning on dinner in your scrubs?” she asked, pulling out her own street clothes. 

“Er … no.” Emma felt her cheeks redden. “It’s just that … if you change clothes here … now … in front of me,” she stammered, “Regina, we won’t be leaving here anytime soon.” 

“Is that so?” Regina asked with a wicked grin as she pulled her scrub top over her head, revealing a black bra with a lacy fringe. 

Emma nearly swallowed her tongue and before she could stop herself, her arm stretched out to let her fingers run lightly over Regina’s taut stomach. She delighted in the softness of the skin under her fingertips and the light muscle twitch her touch produced. “You’re so damn beautiful,” she whispered. 

Regina took the hand that was touching her and used it to pull Emma closer. “So are you,” she said softly. “But we’re _not_ doing this here, so I suggest you turn around or change in the shower if you can’t take it.” She pressed a teasing kiss to Emma’s nose, then pushed her away before reaching for the waist of her scrub pants. 

Emma pulled her clothes from her locker in record time and stumbled into the shower, followed by Regina’s melodious, teasing laughter. _Jesus, that woman is trying to kill me._

She wouldn’t want it any other way. 

—*—*— 

“I asked Helena and Myka if they wanted to come too, but they declined,” Emma remarked as they strolled towards the exit, now both in their street clothes, which — in Emma’s opinion — didn’t exactly make Regina look less delectable. In fact, the off-white summer dress she wore made the color of her skin stand out beautifully, and Emma had trouble taking her eyes off the woman walking next to her. 

“Yes, Helena said they had some things to talk about,” Regina replied vaguely. It wasn’t her place to talk about her friends’ issues, not even with Emma. 

“Trouble in paradise?” Emma asked. Regina gave her a look that told Emma to drop it, and Emma nodded in return. _Message understood._ “Your trip upstairs … did it have to do with us?” _How’s that for a change of subject?_

To Emma’s surprised relief, Regina snorted and shook her head. “Do you honestly think we’d be leaving this place together to have dinner if it _had_ been?” she asked laconically. “I have enough self-awareness to know that I probably would have been a little … prickly after that.” 

“A little?” Emma teased. 

“A lot,” Regina admitted, then let out a long, tired sigh. “Mrs. Frederic called me up to let me know that I’m scheduled to give a talk at a trauma conference in New York in two weeks.” 

“In two weeks?” Emma was flabbergasted. “I take it you had no idea until today?” 

Regina opened the door for Emma and followed her out into the mild evening breeze that ruffled Regina’s short hair. “I avoid conferences as much as I can,” she said in reply. “If there’s need for a member of our team to go, Helena or Myka usually do it.” 

“Henry?” They fell into step next to each other. 

Regina nodded. “I don’t like to leave town on weekends, and that’s when most of these things are.” She blew a strand of dark hair out of her face and Emma had to clench her hand into a fist to stop herself from reaching out and pushing that errant hair behind Regina’s ear. 

“Can’t someone else go?” 

“That _was_ my first question, believe it or not.” 

“Prickly,” Emma pointed out. 

“Sorry,” Regina apologized. “It’s the biggest trauma conference of the year — everybody who’s anybody in trauma is going to be there.” 

“Okay,” Emma drawled. “Not to sound totally stupid or anything, but that does sound like something you should be attending … am I wrong?” 

“It’s not stupid.” Regina almost took Emma’s hand for a moment in reassurance before she remembered they were walking across the hospital parking lot. “Ever since I’ve started in trauma, that conference has mostly been about networking and the business side of things, so hospitals send someone from admin and one or two surgeons to give the requisite talks hardly anybody attends. It’s all about giving the hospitals exposure, and barely about actual medicine.” 

“And I take it that has changed …” 

“Apparently so,” Regina confirmed. “And it seemed to have come as a little bit of a surprise, so now instead of Mrs. Frederic giving Casillas from beta team his fifteen minutes of fame, it’s going to be me.” 

“Any idea what you’ll be giving a talk about?” Emma unconsciously moved closer to Regina and smiled when their hands brushed on every step. 

“Not yet but I have two weeks …” Regina felt Emma’s hand against her own but she didn’t step away. Maybe a little rebellion couldn’t hurt, even if it was just the barely felt contact with her girlfr— _Emma’s_ hand. Suddenly she felt it again, the eyes on her back. 

Emma felt Regina stiffen beside her. “What is it?” 

“I feel like we’re being watched again,” Regina replied immediately, sounding almost apologetic. “I’m really trying not to sound paranoid but—“ 

“No, I’ve been feeling it too …” Emma’s reply was quick. “That’s why my day was so weird.” 

“You felt it too?” Regina asked. “And you still called me paranoid?” 

“I did, and I’m sorry … but after we had that talk I started feeling it too but there was never anybody around who was watching me.” Emma tried to shrug it off but found it difficult. “Maybe we’re both being paranoid?” 

“Let’s hope so,” Regina said quietly. “I don’t particularly enjoy this feeling.” 

“Neither do I,” Emma agreed. “The feeling reminds of …” She ended abruptly with a shake of her head, not wanting to get into that whole miserable affair now. 

“Reminds you of what?” 

“I’ll tell you some other time, okay?” Emma asked. “Right now I’d much rather have you teach me everything I need to know about Cuban cuisine.” She opened the door to Ruby’s diner and let Regina precede her inside. 

“All right … but I do want to hear about it,” Regina insisted as she almost rubbed her body along Emma’s to walk through the door. 

“I promise,” Emma readily agreed. Her hand automatically went to the small of Regina’s back as she followed her into the bustling diner. She spotted Ruby at a table in the back and waved. 

Ruby came over as soon as she was done with the table. “Hey, you two. Staying for dinner?” 

Emma nodded, her face lit up by a happy smile. She was here for a date — no, a _simple dinner_ — with Regina, and she was going to make the best of that. “Do you have a table for us?” 

“For you two? Always.” Ruby called over a blonde girl. “Ashley will take care of you tonight … be nice to her, kid’s new and still wears her training wheels.” 

Emma turned her smile to Ashley who appeared behind Ruby with two menus, ready to lead them to their table. Ruby was about to return to the counter when she turned back to Emma. “Oh, by the way, Emma … Did you forget to mention something? Or should I ask someone?” She waggled her eyebrows and grinned salaciously. 

Emma was stymied. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ruby …” 

Ruby chuckled. “Well, this handsome devil of a man came in for lunch today and asked questions about you. Seemed to know you pretty well.” 

Emma tilted her head curiously. “A guy? I don’t know anybody here except for the people at work.” 

Regina watched the interaction with amused interest. _Sounds like Emma has picked up a crush already. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised._ “A new admirer, maybe?” she suggested. 

Emma rolled her eyes. “How? All I’ve done since I moved her was work and … you know …” 

Ruby grinned. “Well, _that_ sounds interesting … but anyway, the guy — dark, hair, scruffy beard, weird accent — said he wanted to surprise you here.” 

“Surprise me?” Something in Emma’s brain clicked and she felt a chill down her spine. 

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “He said something about how he couldn’t wait to see you because he’d missed you so much. I asked him if he worked with you before and he just laughed and said he wasn’t just some friend you knew from work.” 

Regina’s eyebrow went up to her hairline. Okay, that didn’t sound like a simple crush. 

“He said you’d had a silly fight about you leaving Seattle,” Ruby continued, oblivious to the way all color left Emma’s face. “Apparently he’s seen the light and decided that he wants to make up with his fiancée.” 

“Fiancée?” Emma croaked, and she looked like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes went around the diner in a panic. This explained so, so much. “Shit, he’s here?” 

Regina was waiting for Emma to laugh it off, to explain that Ruby was either mistaken or was making fun of her. Because the thought that Emma had a boyfriend back in Seattle — no, a fiancé — was driving a stake through her guts. She was still waiting for Emma’s denial when she saw the way Emma tensed and blanched. Regina’s heart sank, Emma’s reaction evidence enough to her that there was at least some truth to the story. “You mean that man … that boyfriend of yours actually exists and Ruby isn’t just pulling your leg?” she rasped. 

Emma just shook her head but Regina could feel the hand at her back trembling. “Yes … I mean, no … yes, but not … it’s not …” 

“Stop … just stop,” Regina rasped as her heart clenched in her chest and she felt the floor open up around her. _The one time you decide to give someone a chance and they play you like a cheap fiddle. Damn it, Mills, you should have known this was too good to be true!_ “I think I’ve heard enough, Doctor Swan.” 

Regina turned and walked out, her long strides taking her outside before Emma had a chance to react. “No, Regina, wait … It’s not what … Fuck!” she swore so loud that the patrons at several tables started to stare. Emma didn’t care, she was shaking with fury and fear. 

Her stalker had followed her to Miami after only a week, and Emma knew with sudden clarity that she had nowhere to run. He would always follow her until the day he grew tired of the game or something more drastic happened. 

“Fucking hell,” Emma muttered for good measure. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “It’s Emma,” she said once she heard Callie’s voice. “He’s in Miami.” 

“What? Are you sure?” Ruby could hear _that_ shout from two feet away. 

“I’m sure.” Emma felt like crying, although it was more from frustration than fear. Ruby seemed to sense there was something else at play here because she waved Ashley off and dragged Emma towards the bar to pour her a drink. Emma followed mindlessly but Ruby could hear the despair in Emma’s next words. 

“He’s here. Jones has found me … And the woman I … I’m interested in thinks he’s my boyfriend and I’ve been leading her on the whole time. Right now I’m not sure what’s worse.” 

“Okay, find a drink and tell me everything.” 

—*—*— 

Outside, in the parking lot of the hospital, Regina sat in her car with her forehead against the steering wheel while angry tears ran down her face. Now that her chance with Emma was gone, she realized just how much she had liked the younger woman. 

She let out a stream of Spanish curses before defiantly wiping her face and starting the car. She felt the need to see her son, even if he was already asleep, and she needed a hug. She couldn’t go to Myka and Helena, not tonight, but Rosa would know what to do. 

She drove off, her tires squealing in protest as she took the corner too quickly and disappeared down the street. 

The eyes watching her drive off crinkled in a smile. 


	9. Episode 5: Angels and Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters.
> 
> A/N: I apologize for the huge delay in posting this episode but real life happened and then _Stars_ needed to be written and then work took over my brain ... but now I'm having a few days off, so I finally had the time to sit down and write this. As promised, a whole episode - and I hope the length makes up for the lengthy absence, at least a little bit.
> 
> A/N 2: I don't think I need a trigger warning for this but I need to warn you that Killian Jones is a pretty disgusting individual and it shows in this episode. Nothing too graphic but if you're squeamish, you might want to proceed with caution towards the end (only in his scenes, though).

Regina parked her car in front of a Walgreen's and just sat there for a second, motor running. In the five minutes since she had left Emma at Ruby's, she had cried more than she had in a long time, and nearly driven into oncoming traffic twice because she was so distracted and her vision was blurry. 

She wiped at her eyes, trying to calm her raging emotions with a deep breath. 

Then another. 

When she had calmed down a little, she ran the conversation she had just witnessed through her head again, trying to understand what had happened but the more she thought about it, the less sure she got about her reaction. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contact list, then selected the number she had hoped was in there. It only rang twice before it was picked up. "It's Regina," she said, her voice scratchy from tears. "Just tell me if I overreacted just now." 

"Dammit!" There were a couple of quick steps and a door closing before the voice returned. "Damn, Regina, you need to get your ass back here right this second," Ruby hissed. "I'm so sorry I caused this … whatever this is … with what I said but believe me, it's absolutely _not_ what you think!" 

"How is it not?" Regina ran the palm of her free hand over her face. “You were the one who said she had a fiancé …” 

"I'm still not one hundred percent sure what's going on but Emma's on the phone to a friend and she's scared to death," Ruby explained as much as she could. "Like white as a sheet, shaking like a leaf _terrified_ , so if you like her even a little bit, you come back here right now and talk to her." 

Regina swallowed as she remembered the way Emma's hand had trembled against her back. She had put it down to Emma being nervous about being found out, but if Ruby was right, she had just left the woman she liked more than she cared to admit to herself to a situation that scared her for some reason. 

Maybe she owed it to Emma to at least listen. 

Her mind was made up in a second. "I'm on my way back, Ruby," Regina said, already easing the car back into traffic. "Don't let her leave, please ... I'll be there in a couple of minutes." 

"I'll make sure she's here." 

155 seconds later, Regina haphazardly parked her car in the closest spot to the entrance, not caring all that much that she almost ran over a man lurking in the shadows in the process. She tossed a half-hearted apology over her shoulder at him as she walked rapidly towards the diner but he ignored her as he slunk around the corner. 

Inside the diner, Emma was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Ruby. “Where is she?” Regina asked the first waitress she saw, the new girl called Ashley. “Emma? Did she leave?” 

Before the girl could reply, Ruby approached her from the back. “Over here, Regina. She’s in my office.” 

Regina’s shoulders sagged in relief. “She’s still here then?” 

“I told you I’d make sure of that,” Ruby said. She stopped Regina with a hand on her arm as she tried to rush past her. “Something about what I said has her really freaked out, Regina … and I’m really, really sorry about before. I had no idea I would cause _this_ ,” she tried to explain. “I was trying to help, you know … I wanted her to laugh it off as a joke that guy was playing … and if it happened to be true, at least you would have known.” 

“You need to rethink your approach the next time you’re trying to help, Ms. Lucas,” Regina replied distractedly. “For what it’s worth … thanks for trying to look out for me. It’s not like I reacted all that maturely.” 

Ruby shrugged. “You were jealous and hurt, it’s understandable … and my approach was … insensitive to say the least. I owe you two breakfast, I think.” She led Regina towards the back. “Now go and find out what’s really going on, will ya? This drama is killing me.” 

Emma had her back to her when Regina slipped inside the room and gently closed the door. Even from a few feet away Regina could see the tense set of Emma’s shoulders as she listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line was saying. 

“Yeah,” Emma just then said with a sigh, “and now Regina thinks I’m some cheating, lying bitch when she’s all I can think about these days. I can’t believe he managed to ruin that for me too. What the hell did I ever do to him, Callie?” 

Regina cleared her throat and Emma whirled around. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “You came back.” 

“What’s going on?” Callie yelled, audible even to Regina. 

“Regina came back,” Emma muttered, eyes closed in relief. “Now I can explain …” 

“Huh, good for her,” Callie grunted. “Let me talk to her.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Just hand her the phone, Emma,” Callie insisted. “I'll talk to her while you take a few deep breaths to calm down. _Trust me._ ” 

Emma wordlessly held out the phone towards Regina, who took it after a moment’s hesitation. 

“Hello?” she asked, not taking her eyes off Emma who was wiping her eyes and seemed to try to collect herself. 

“So _you’re_ Regina Mills,” a woman’s voice said. “I’m Callie Torres.” 

Regina’s eyebrows spiked. “I’ve read some of your papers,” she said in reflex. “On orthopedic trauma care. And I know that the hospital tried to coax you here with a nice position.” Regina bit her tongue in an attempt to stop her nervous rambling. _Why am I even on the phone when I should be talking to Emma?_

“Yeah well, at that point in time that would have been a little too close to my family,” Callie grunted. “Besides I had just started seeing this beautiful blonde doctor …” There was a more than a hint in her voice. 

“I know the feeling,” Regina admitted with a small smile. 

“Listen,” Callie urged. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you and Emma, but I can promise you that she’s not in any kind of relationship with that guy.” 

_Of course Emma told her about the talk with Ruby and her reaction._ “I think I may have overreacted a little bit,” Regina muttered, her eyes searching for Emma’s. 

“Love makes us do incredibly stupid things,” Callie stated. 

“But I’m not … We’re no—” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Callie muttered. “The important thing right now is that you take care of Emma because she’s scared. That guy … his name is Killian Jones … he’s been after her for a while. He used to work here at the hospital until Emma finally complained about him and he was fired. She even got the police to arrest him but they had to let him go. Apparently he hadn’t done enough to warrant locking him up.” She paused. “It’s her story to tell … Just get her somewhere safe and take care of her, okay? And call me if you need anything or tell Emma to call me.” 

“I’ll take her home,” Regina promised. 

“Not hers, you can’t,” Callie protested immediately. “That’s not safe. We think he was in her house here, but we could never prove it.” 

“We’ll figure something out,” Regina said impatiently. She wanted to talk to Emma, not some stranger, however well-meaning she was. “I have to go now.” 

“Take care of her … and yourself.” 

Regina walked closer to Emma, ending the call and handing her the phone. 

“You came back,” Emma repeated. “For me.” 

“I’m so sorry for running off like that,” Regina blurted. “I was …” She hesitated, unsure how to describe her feeling, finally settling on, “hurt.” 

“I understand … but just to make it clear: I _really_ am not engaged to anybody,” Emma explained, wringing her hands. “This guy …” 

“Killian Jones?” At Emma’s surprised look, Regina added, “Your friend mentioned his name.” 

“Yeah … _him_ ,” Emma rasped. “He’s the reason I had to leave Seattle so quickly.” She looked at Regina, yearning in her eyes, her arms twitching. “Could I … Would you …?” 

Regina read the question in Emma’s body language and pulled her into a hug before she had finished voicing her need. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated into Emma’s ear. “I should have stayed, I should have held you … be there for you.” 

“You couldn’t know,” Emma sighed. “And I don’t blame you … I’m just very glad you came back. I was afraid you’d never talk to me again.” 

“That would have been extraordinarily difficult given our jobs,” Regina smiled into Emma’s hair. “Will you tell me the whole story? When you’re ready?” 

Emma nodded against her shoulder. “You should know, especially now …But tonight …” 

Regina nodded in understanding. “We need to get you somewhere safe first,” she said. “We’ll figure something out with work until this is resolved. Helena, Myka and I can cover things there for a few days, I think. Or we could—” 

Emma reared back. “Regina, I can’t stop going to work because of that bastard,” she growled. “I just need to be careful and we need to inform hospital security.” 

“Emma …” 

“No, Regina,” Emma insisted. “The worst thing he can do to me is stop me from living my life. That’s what he does, you know?” 

Regina supposed Emma had a point. “Okay, we’ll inform hospital security,” she said while making a mental note to make some calls of her own. “But Callie said not to take you home.” 

“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “If he knows where I work and eat, he most certainly knows where I live. He did in Seattle.” 

“Then he knows more than me,” Regina tried for some levity but the joke fell a little flat. 

“Not by my choice.” 

“I know.” Regina wiped the tears from Emma’s face. “Let’s go to my apartment then.” 

“No!” Emma shook her head. “I can’t risk him following us and finding out where you live if he doesn’t already know. If he's seen us together ..." She left it at that, implication clear. "We can’t go to your place … I should just check into a hotel somewhere.” 

From the tone in Emma’s voice Regina got the distinct feeling that Emma wasn’t just being paranoid. In fact, the sudden appearance of this stalker could explain the feelings of being watched that both she and Emma had experienced all day. Keeping Emma safe at the hospital was one thing, and one Regina was fairly sure could be accomplished … but outside of work? She had to find a way to keep Emma safe and most of all _make_ her feel safe. 

For a second she contemplated calling Helena, knowing that her friend’s background would be very helpful in a situation like this but she knew Helena and Myka would be dealing with their own problems that night. She bit her lower lip as a thought struck her and then the words fell out of her mouth before she had really thought the idea through. “I have a better plan,” she said. “I’m going to take you home.” 

“No, I just said—“ 

“Not my _apartment_ , Emma,” Regina corrected. “My _home_. There’s no safer place I know.” Her family history had made sure of that, and she hoped that Emma would be too distracted to ask. 

Emma searched Regina’s eyes. When she was satisfied with what she saw, she nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure.” 

“I’m sure.” 

Except she wasn’t … but that had nothing to do with security matters and everything to do with allowing Emma to meet the two Henrys in her life. Not to mention Rosa. 

Who would take one look at Regina in Emma’s presence and just _know_. 

==*=*== 

Killian Jones watched as the dark-haired woman strode quickly into the diner after nearly running him over with her car. He pulled a pen and a little black notebook out of his leather jacket with his good hand and wet the index finger of his deformed hand to open it at the right page. 

The page titled _Regina Mills_ in blocky letters. 

His face morphed into an ugly grimace at the sight of the name and he had to fight the urge to cross out her name viciously. Instead, he added new information to his neat notes. Make and model of her car were meticulously written down as well as the license plate number. There were so many things one could do with this information. 

He took one last look into the diner, feeling a twinge of disappointment when he still couldn’t see the love of his life, his fiancee, his angel. His Emma. 

On the other hand, he also couldn’t see Regina Mills, the woman his angel had been holding hands with earlier, so that was a plus. He twitched at the thought of someone else touching his angel. 

He returned the notebook and pen to their designated pocket and patted his jacket to make sure they were settled safely. One always had to make sure to be scrupulous about such things, and he was a perfectionist. 

With a small smile at the thought of being with his beloved again soon, he slowly walked around the corner of the building to do what he did best. 

Watch and wait. 

==*=*== 

“Here you are, darling,” Helena said softly, holding out a glass of wine for Myka. “Cheers.” 

Myka watched her wife who seemed frozen, standing to the side of the couch Myka was sitting on, eyes moving between the couch and the armchair across from it. “Come here,” she sighed and patted the spot right next to her. “I refuse to talk with you so far away.” 

Helena gave her a small smile, hoping it didn’t look as forced as it felt. She still wasn’t even remotely in the mood to talk about the daughter she lost and what keeping that secret might mean for her and Myka. _Deal with it,_ she told herself sternly as she sat trying to find the right amount of distance between them. Close but not too close, giving Myka space but not looking like she didn’t want to be there, even if that was somewhat true at the moment. She dreaded the talk she knew was coming. 

Myka smirked at the look on H.G.’s face and the space between them. Her wife had no idea how little she could hide, her face easily readable to people who knew her well. With a grin, Myka scooted closer until she was pressed up against H.G., who looked at her with a startled expression. 

“I thought we were fighting,” Helena muttered after clearing her throat and wetting her mouth with a healthy drink from her glass. “I didn’t mean to—“ 

“We’re not fighting. We’re talking. Granted, the issues at hand are a little tough but we’re still _just talking_ , Helena.” Myka patted Helena’s hand which was fidgeting on her thigh, nails digging into her jeans at random intervals. “That doesn’t mean that I want to have to talk with you halfway across the room … Besides, I’m pretty sure one or both of us are going to be needing hugs at some point, so why make it extra hard?” 

H.G. shook her head, but there was a small smile playing around her lips. Maybe this talk wasn’t going to be as bad as she feared. “I don’t understand you sometimes … but that’s sort of what makes you so wonderful. You are an endless wonder, darling.” 

Myka snorted. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she replied. “When you’re not keeping huge things from me, that is. Things we should have talked about the first time I mentioned wanting a family with you _at the very latest_.” 

And just like that they were back to the serious side of their evening. 

==*=*== 

“Could you …” Emma started hesitantly, then stopped. 

“Could I what?” Regina took her eyes off the road for a second to look at the woman in the passenger seat when there was nothing else coming. “Emma?” 

“Could you drive around a little before … just in case he’s following?” Emma sounded shy. 

“Of course,” Regina replied easily and took a sharp right. “It’s a good opportunity to show you some of the lesser known areas of our beautiful city.” 

==*=*== 

“So I know you love children,” Myka mumbled as she snuggled into Helena’s side. The conversation was taking a lot out of them both and at some point they simply had cuddled up in the corner of the couch. “I see that every time you play with Henry.” 

H.G. nodded with a small smile. “He’s impossible not to love,” she whispered. “And _not_ just because he’s Regina’s kid.” 

Myka laughed lightly. “Yeah, I didn’t think you just loved him because he’s an extension of your best friend … although in the beginning I wondered if that was what it was. I admit I was jealous but I guess we all know that by now.” She paused for a long moment. “Does he ever remind you of …” 

“Christina?” H.G. asked. “What could have been had she lived?” She swallowed hard. “Yes, he does. Less often now, but when he was a baby … yeah. When he was just this tiny bundle … You know he was born prematurely too because Regina was so stressed because of … _everything_ , and I was so afraid for her and him because …” She trailed off. 

“Because of what happened to Christina?” Myka finished for her wife. 

“And Cora … and because Regina wasn’t really in any shape to take care of him in the beginning,” H.G. added. “You didn’t know her back then but … she was only a pale shade of the girl she used to be or the woman she has become since. Her mother,” she spat out the word, “almost managed to destroy her. If it hadn’t been for Rosa and Henry Sr. I don’t know what would have happened.” 

“But didn’t it also show you that kids are resilient? That Regina survived her mother, that Henry survived despite everything… That it’s beautiful to see them grow up?” 

“Of _course_ it did,” Helena groaned. “Myka, I’m … I love children, I do. I’m just _so bloody scared_. I couldn’t go through something like that again.” She wiped at the tears that had pooled in her eyes with short, angry motions. “Tell me again why you want children, please. Make me see, Myka.” 

Myka straightened a little and pulled Helena into her arms. “I want a family with you because I have all this love in my heart and I want to spread it around. I think you’d be such a wonderful mother and it would be a shame to let all that love and care we have inside of us go to waste.” 

She cupped Helena’s face in her hands and tipped her face up to look into her eyes. “But if you can’t see that ever happening for you … for us, I will spoil Henry and be the best damn aunt to that boy I can be. Now that I know why you’re so troubled by the idea, I’m not going to insist.” She pressed a short, sweet kiss to her wife’s lips. “That doesn’t mean I won’t bring it up again at some point in the future, just to see if you’ve changed your mind.” 

“I’m sorry, Myka,” H.G. rasped. “I promise I will work on it … but that’s all I can promise for now.” 

“That’s all I ask,” Myka replied softly, having a feeling that working on it would include a lot of talking to Regina who had always been Helena’s sounding board. And maybe she was the right person for the job, given that she had been there with Helena, and had helped her through it the first time. 

“Just don’t ever ask me to carry a child again,” H.G.’s voice was barely audible. “I can’t go through that again,” she said again. 

“Oh, Helena, I wouldn’t … not now,” Myka promised fervently, swearing to herself that she would _never_ mention that it had been her fondest dream to have a little girl that looked just like her wife. “If we decided we wanted a child, I could carry it … or we could adopt …” 

“You’d be okay with that?” Helena latched onto that immediately. 

Something in Helena’s voice filled Myka with a sudden sense of hope. “Absolutely,” she said with a smile. “There are so many kids out there who need good families.” 

“Even if we thought about that, it wouldn’t be easy,” H.G. reminded. “We’re two women with very demanding jobs …” 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, my love,” Myka whispered, realizing that Helena was reaching her emotional limit when she started talking about practicalities. She pressed herself against Helena and kissed her with intent, purposely ending their discussion for the night. 

Talking quickly became difficult after that and stopped entirely pretty soon. 

==*=*== 

Jones watched as his angel got into the passenger side of the sleek, dark BMW and the door was closed softly behind her by the dark woman by her side. He wondered how this woman, how Regina Mills had managed to convince his beautiful Emma to leave Seattle and move away from him. Without even saying goodbye to him, which he was still slightly angry about. 

But he was certain it wasn’t really Emma’s fault, so he knew he’d forgive her eventually. He knew she loved him and was just under the influence of this woman who was now getting into the car herself. It didn’t matter, he was here now to save his angel, just like she had once saved him. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the car driving off. He grimaced, but only for a moment before shrugging it off. He knew where both of them lived, and there would always be time later to find out where that Mills woman had taken his Emma. 

For now it was enough that Emma knew he was in town. He had seen the relief on her face at the knowledge that he had come to rescue her. There had been tears of joy even. 

He would _always_ come for her. He loved her. She was his. They would be together forever, and nobody would ever come between them. 

==*=*== 

Regina drove around for an hour, keeping one eye on the rearview mirror, turning this way and that, but generally heading towards her goal. Emma spent most of the time with her head leaned against the headrest and staring out of the window into the darkness that had fallen over Miami. Only rarely did she acknowledge Regina’s sparse comments but Regina didn’t mind the quiet time to think and watch the traffic behind them, knowing that Emma was worried and working through things in her mind. 

The comfortable silence was broken when Regina left the road they had been on for some minutes to turn onto an unlit gravel road lined by a thick growth of trees. Emma looked up at the sudden sensation of deep darkness that surrounded them and turned towards Regina with a raised eyebrow. “Where are you taking me, Doctor Mills?” 

Regina was relieved to hear a touch of teasing in Emma’s voice, which she took to mean that Emma was feeling a little more stable. “Well,” she smiled, deciding to tease right back, “since you’re completely at my mercy I thought I’d take you out into the swamps and have my way with you.” 

Emma snorted. “I like a little more light for that, thanks,” she said with an audible smile. “You’re much too beautiful for me not to watch you when I make you come.” 

Regina felt herself flush from her ears to her chest. “Um,” she coughed, knowing she was horribly outplayed. 

“Sorry,” Emma grinned. She ran a finger down Regina’s thigh. “Thank you for taking me away from _everything_ for tonight.” She was much more serious now, but there was a small smile on her lips when Regina stopped her roving finger with her own hand. Emma turned her hand and laced their fingers together. “So, where are we really? I’m completely lost … I don’t even know if we went north or south.” 

“Generally speaking … we drove north-west. And I wasn’t kidding — the Everglades are just a few miles down the road there.” Regina pointed into the darkness. 

“I don’t know much about Miami yet,” Emma replied. “But aren’t the Everglades like everywhere around here?” 

“Pretty much,” Regina admitted. “Which is why we do get the odd alligator attack victim at the trauma center …” 

“Something to look forward to, yay,” Emma commented dryly. 

“To answer your question,” Regina said gently. “My father’s house … my home … is at the end of this dirt road.” She slowed down as a wall with a huge gate came into view. “Right here.” 

The BMW slowly rolled towards the gate which opened as if by magic. Before Emma could wonder about that since she hadn’t seen Regina press any buttons, a figure appeared out of the darkness and stopped by the driver’s side. 

“Good evening, Doc,” a deep voice said and Emma craned her neck to try and see the man’s face. 

Regina lowered the window with a chuckle. “How often do I have to tell you to call me Regina?” she asked. 

“At least one more time,” the tall man replied teasingly. Emma still couldn’t see his face but she could see that he was wearing a gun in a holster. “Everything’s quiet. Have a good evening, Doc.” 

“You too, Rico. And please tell the others I said hello.” 

Rico nodded once before heading back into the darkness as Regina raised the window again. “What was that?” Emma blurted. “Am I dreaming or was that an armed guard?” 

Regina sighed softly as the car slowly rolled ahead. “That was one of the reasons why I think you’ll be safe here,” she replied. “My father’s house is guarded day and night by Rico and his very well-trained men.” 

Emma gaped at Regina, jaw dropping. “Why on earth are there armed guards watching your father’s house?” she asked, still not sure she believed it. 

Regina winced a little at Emma’s tone. “That’s a very long story,” she stalled. “One we do not have time for now. We’re here.” 

Emma had been so focused on Regina that she hadn’t even realized that they had rolled to a stop in front of a large but not enormous ranch-style house. "Nice," she breathed. "With the gate and the guards I almost expected a palatial monstrosity." She turned to Regina. "This looks like a nice home, though." 

"Thanks," Regina commented sardonically, staring at the house."My father has always been a simple man, a farmer at heart.” She stopped talking, her mouth suddenly feeling like a desert as her nerves decided to act up. What had she been thinking bringing Emma here? 

"But I thought ... you know, with the whole boarding school in Switzerland thing ..." 

"Not his idea," Regina said curtly, her tight throat not allowing for much more. "Not mine either." 

She made no move to leave the car and Emma wondered, if Regina regretted taking her here. It had been a necessity, and not a choice, after all. "Listen," she started when she noticed Regina’s hand start fidgeting. "We can still find a motel somewhere nearby for me, if my presence here makes things complicated for you ..." 

Regina really tried to smile at the gesture but her nerves wouldn't allow it. _What the hell am I doing, taking Emma to meet the family? To meet Henry? I should have thought about this more ... why didn't I think this through?_ "It's not ... I'm not ..." She stopped when the wooden door not too far from them opened and Rosa looked at them curiously. _Too late now to do anything about this._ Regina shook her head in resignation and turned to Emma. "Are you ready?" 

_Ready for what?_ "I guess," Emma shrugged. "The question is: are you?" 

Regina nodded, even as she swallowed hard, trying to force her nervousness back down her throat. _Not even remotely._ "Of course," was what she said, however, getting out of the car and slamming the door maybe just a little too hard. She looked up and saw the curious look on Rosa’s face. _Time to face the music._

==*=*== 

Killian Jones rested his forehead against the steering wheel of his car. Where was his Emma? He looked up at her apartment windows once more, hoping to see some light or movement there but again there was nothing. He had already gone by the Mills’ woman’s apartment building but there was a concierge, and he hadn’t wanted to risk sneaking inside. 

Not tonight, at least, and not just to _look_. He would keep that option for another night. The underground parking garage had been easier to access, however. _Thank the fates for internet porn_ , he thought with a smirk as he remembered that the guard had been otherwise occupied and he had been able to sneak right by him to check if a certain BMW was in its spot. 

No car, no Emma. 

So now he was sitting in front of Emma’s building, watching and waiting. 

==*=*== 

“Where’s daddy?” Regina asked once Rosa had led them inside and into the kitchen after quick introductions at the door. 

Rosa gave her a strange look. “Playing chess with Cesar, just like every Monday …” she replied slowly. “Are you all right, _mija_? You seem a little out of sorts.” In fact, Regina looked ready to jump out of her skin. 

“I’m fine,” Regina blurted quickly but couldn’t stop herself from giving Emma a side-glance. “Is Henry sleeping already?” 

“I put him to bed just five minutes ago,” Rosa replied. “Why don’t you go and tuck him in? He’d love to see his mama and I'm sure he's not sleeping yet. I’ll fix you both a snack in the meantime.” She saw the look shared between Emma and Regina. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your friend company.” 

_That’s what I’m afraid of_ , Regina thought but the urge to see her son was greater than the concern for what Rosa would talk about with Emma. She knew Emma could hold her own, so she nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. “I’ll only be a few minutes,” she told Emma with a smile. 

“Go see your son and give him _un beso de buenas noches,_ ” Rosa said and motioned for Regina to leave. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Emma promised. 

As soon as Regina had left the room, Rosa pointed Emma to a chair as she busied herself with pulling food from the fridge and getting the stove going. “So you’re Emma Swan,” she said curiously over her shoulder. 

“Yes?” Emma wondered what Regina had told this women, who she assumed was Regina’s mother. “Yes, I am,” she repeated more firmly. 

“What kind of trouble are you in?” 

Emma raised an eyebrow at the blunt question. _Maybe this was why Regina had been so nervous when we got here._ “What makes you think I’m in trouble?” she asked, trying not to sound too defensive. 

Rosa stopped stirring whatever it was she had cooking in her saucepan and turned to face Emma. “I know my Regina,” she simply said. 

“Meaning?” 

“Meaning that she either suddenly realized that you’re the love of her life and that you needed to meet the family _immediately_ … or that you’re in some sort of trouble and Regina brought you here because this house is safe.” Rosa smiled in satisfaction at her summary. 

“What if it’s both?” Emma asked, her heart beating a little harder at the thought of being the love of Regina’s life. She _knew_ that was not why they were here but apparently Emma had completely underestimated the implications of Regina’s decision to take her to her _home_. 

“Maybe it is,” Rosa mused. “However, it is most definitely a surprise to meet you this soon. I’ve never met anyone Regina had only known for a week.” 

Emma had learned early on in life how to read people, and the glint in the older woman’s eyes told her all she needed to know right now. “Regina told you about us,” she stated. 

“She did,” Rosa replied with a smile. “Although the last time we spoke about you, it did not sound as if she were quite ready yet for you to meet the family …” 

“I … we …” Emma swallowed. _Oh damn, what are we going to tell them? What is Regina’s son going to think about my presence here? Or her father? Why the hell didn’t we talk about that in the car? Why the fuck did I just sit there and stare out the window like a moron? We should have come up with a story, something to tell them why we’re—_

Rosa chuckled lightly, interrupting Emma’s panicked thoughts. “Don’t worry, child,” she said softly. “We’re harmless. Well, at least we don’t bite …” She gave Emma a look of pure mischief. “Unless you like that, of course, and then I’m sure Regina would oblige, if you ask nicely …?” 

Emma groaned and flushed in embarrassment. Now she knew _exactly_ what had Regina so nervous. “Oh God, you’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?” she spluttered in an attempt to regain her footing in the conversation. “You’re trying to see if I can take what you dish out, right? Are you going to interrogate me next to see what my intentions are? I know you’re Regina’s mother but really, I’m—“ 

Emma _almost_ missed the pained expression on Rosa’s face. “I’m not.” 

“Not what?” 

“I’m not Regina’s mother,” Rosa explained softly, sadly. “I’m the housekeeper and the nanny and have been since Regina was a baby. I was always around and I love her like my own but I’m … I’m not her mother.” 

“You _are_ in every way that counts,” Regina said from the door, looking much calmer now that she had seen and hugged her son. “You’ve always been a better mother than …” She trailed off with a grimace. 

Emma looked back and forth between the two women. Regina looked pained by something and Emma could see there was a story behind that look, a story that she wasn’t sure Regina was ready to tell yet. And Rosa watched Regina with soft, warm eyes that held a mixture of sadness and love. “I’m sorry,” she said after long moments of increasingly oppressive silence. “I didn’t mean to … I just assumed because …” 

Regina gave Emma a little smile, grateful for pulling her back from her thoughts. It gave her the opportunity to turn the situation around. “Because of what?” She turned to Rosa with a smirk. “You gave her the motherly talk, didn’t you? Did you already threaten Emma? I can’t leave you alone …” She sighed in mock resignation but her smile never left her face despite the accusation. 

“Regina …” Rosa sounded exasperated but there was a mischievous grin on her face. 

“Nah, it’s fine,” Emma said dismissively. “Nothing I can’t handle, and it’s done wonders to take my mind of _other_ things.” 

“I like her,” Rosa told Regina. “She’s going to be good for you.” She turned off the stove when the saucepan threatened to bubble over. “Now sit and eat and tell me what trouble you’re in.” 

Emma swallowed, not ready to talk about that. Not when she was just feeling on a somewhat even keel again. “Is there a bathroom I could use?” she asked Regina. “I think I need a moment to freshen up,” she added under her breath. 

“Are you all right?” The concern in Regina’s eyes warmed Emma through and through. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Emma whispered back. “Just maybe … could you … I don’t really want to … not tonight …” 

Regina nodded in understanding. “The bathroom is at the end of the hallway, you can’t miss it.” Emma got up and Regina stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Take all the time you need.” 

“Thank you.” Emma pressed a kiss to Regina’s cheek and left. 

As soon as Emma had left the room, Rosa stopped pretending not to listen to their hushed conversation and gave Regina a look. “I’m glad you allowed her in, _mija_ ,” she said quietly. “I was afraid you would remain too stubborn to try and be happy. You deserve so much to be happy again.” 

Regina lowered her eyes, knowing full well that Rosa’s pep talk had a lot to do with the way she had accepted Emma at the cabin. “Thank you for giving me a kick when I needed it,” she said. “It helped. I’m … I … I really like her. I tried hard not to but … I feel like I didn’t stand a chance.” Regina shrugged, helpless to explain the effect Emma had on her. “ _Pienso que podría enamorarme de ella._ ” 

Rosa patted her forearm. “Oh, I know, _mi corazón_. I knew on Friday, and now that I saw you around her, it’s even more clear. Something changed this weekend, something big. You opened your heart.” 

“But you hardly saw us together just now.” 

“I saw enough, I heard enough,” Rosa dismissed Regina’s protest. “But I also know that you would not have brought her here so soon … not under normal circumstances. So tell me what trouble your girl is in.” 

In rapid Spanish, Regina explained what little she knew, allowing Emma to distance herself from it if only for the night, even if she came back right now. 

Rosa listened carefully, her face clouding over more and more. 

==*=*== 

Emma rested both hands on the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was obvious that she had been crying earlier since what little make-up she had worn was gone, and there was only a smudge of mascara under her right eye, which she wiped at with a finger. Her eyes were red but given that she was used to sleepless nights and long days in her line of work, that wasn’t actually anything unusual. 

She opened the faucet and tossed water in her face, wishing it were colder than it was. She was still used to Seattle where the cold water was actually cold, and not the tepid temperature that it always seemed to be here. 

She knew that she should go back to Regina and talk to her, tell her everything she knew about her stalker, everything about what happened in Seattle. Why he scared her, made her leave a really good job at a hospital that had offered good career opportunities, and where she had friends. 

The truth was, she didn’t want to talk about him, not tonight. She didn’t even want to think about him, didn’t want him to influence her life like that again, make him the center of her existence. That was exactly what he wanted, she assumed, and she was not willing to give him that again. What she wanted was to continue the _non-date_ date with Regina, learn more about her … just light things, little things, fun things, _first date_ things. Not talk about why she couldn’t go home tonight, or why Regina’s family lived in a house that was guarded like a fortress. There would be time for that, and soon, but tonight she couldn’t deal with it, and she was pretty sure from the way Regina had acted on the way here that she wasn’t exactly looking forward to sharing that long story she had hinted at. 

Emma dried her hands, wondering if this avoidance made her a coward. _Possibly_ , she mouthed to her reflection, but she decided that was something she could live with. Tomorrow she would _have_ to talk about it, she and Regina would have to inform hospital security, and she wanted to tell Helena, Myka, and Pete just in case Jones showed up at the trauma center. _Again,_ she added, remembering the way she had felt eyes on her today. She would have to tell the team who to be on the lookout for. 

Emma pulled out her phone and scrolled to a number. “Hey, it’s me again.” 

“Emma! Are you safe?” Callie’s voice was the opposite of calm. 

“I am, don’t worry,” Emma reassured her at once. “Regina took me to her father’s house which is pretty well guarded.” 

“Like a gated community?” 

Emma chuckled. “Something like that,” she said, unwilling to go into details. “But the reason I’m calling is—“ 

“Apart from letting us know you’re all right,” Calle said pointedly. 

“ _Apart_ from letting you know I’m fine and not to worry, of course,” Emma confirmed. “I want to warn my team and hospital security tomorrow … but I deleted the photo I had of him on my phone as soon as I got out of Seattle …” 

“We still have that photo of him hanging in the break room … the one that was put up as a warning,” Callie replied immediately. “I’ll take a photo of it tomorrow morning or fax it to you or something. It might have some holes in it though …” 

“What did you do?” Emma asked with a grin. 

“His ugly visage is currently stuck to our dart board,” Callie explained with a chortle. “Believe me, Grey has never had better aim …” 

Emma laughed out loud at the image of Meredith Grey flinging darts at her stalker’s face. “Thank you, I needed that.” 

“You’re welcome. Oh, and don’t think I’ll forget that you owe me the story of how you managed to get your boss to date you after that adamant refusal only a few days ago.” 

“I’m sure you won’t,” Emma replied, still smiling. “Bye, Torres … and thanks for everything.” 

Emma shoved her phone into her pocket and headed back to the kitchen. 

==*=*== 

Killian Jones snarled as he looked at Emma’s dark apartment again. _What if she wasn’t coming back tonight? What if she was being kept somewhere by that woman, against her will, helpless? And he couldn’t get to her, save her?_ Maybe he should wait for her in her apartment? Maybe she had left him some clues in there. She knew he was here, she would welcome him with open arms if she were home, so she would be happy for him to sleep in her bed, he was sure of it. He needed a place to sleep anyway. 

And he needed a plan. 

He was tired after driving for three days straight to get here, taking only short naps at gas stations here and there. He snarled again. It had been a long drive but there was never going to be a place far enough that Regina Mills could take his Emma. He would _always_ follow. He would _always_ find her. And he would remove all the obstacles keeping them apart, one way or another. He just needed a plan. 

Killian Jones got out of his car and walked up to Emma’s building as if he had every right to be there. 

_Time to rest._

==*=*== 

Rosa watched with a smile as Emma and Regina drank their coffee after having devoured their late snack of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Comfort food always worked, be it on Regina, Henry or even Regina’s father. And it seemed Emma Swan was no exception. 

She held back a sigh, not wanting to draw attention to herself. It had been so long since she had seen love in Regina’s eyes, and even if her little girl didn’t know the extent of it yet — or was ready to fully accept her feelings for what they were — Rosa recognized it for what it was, even as tinged with worry as the look was at the moment. 

And Emma Swan? She didn’t know her enough to read her with absolute certainty, but if pressed she would swear that this woman was well on her way to being in love with Regina. She hoped this man who was after her would be stopped soon, so Regina and her could focus on each other. She wanted Regina to be happy, and she had a feeling Emma would be a key factor in that. 

Rosa had respected Emma’s unspoken wish not to speak of her tormentor this night, so she had served them food and made light conversation when it was required, but mostly she had been happy to sit back and just watch them. She checked the clock on the wall. Maybe it was time to leave them alone. 

“I think it’s time for this old woman to go to bed,” she said, breaking her silence for the first time in many minutes. 

Regina checked the time and raised an eyebrow. “You just want to go and catch up on your telenovela,” she said with a smile, knowing exactly that it wasn’t remotely Rosa’s normal bedtime. “But you’re right,” she added as she turned to Emma, “the day was long and I think we should head to bed too.” 

Emma looked startled for a second but then she gave Regina her most beautiful smile and nodded. 

Rosa smiled warmly as she shooed them off. “Children,” she muttered under her breath as she went to watch her daily telenovela before Henry Sr. returned home. 

==*=*== 

It hadn’t been hard to get into his angel’s apartment. Killian had picked more difficult locks before and the back door had been easy. Emma’s house in Seattle had been much harder to get into, he remembered, especially because she had lived with three other people. A nuisance. 

But now he walked through his beloved’s apartment with nobody around to stop him, taking everything in. There were no pictures on the walls yet — the whole placed looked mostly unfurnished — so he wasn’t too disappointed not to see any photos of him or them together. He had sent her that photo of the two of them from the Seattle Grace holiday party the year before but he guessed it was still in one of the many boxes he could see stacked in a corner. He barely resisted the urge to go look for it and hang it up in a place of prominence but then he figured that she maybe put it up in the bedroom to have him close to her at all times. 

The bedroom was the most finished room of all, even if there were no pictures. There was a nice queen-sized bed against one wall, the sheets rumpled as if Emma had just gotten up. He touched the sheets but all the warmth from her body had fled, of course. He closed his eyes and imagined her lying there, waiting for him to join her. 

He turned to the dresser next to the door and opened the drawers one after the other, running his hands through Emma’s underwear with a dreamy look on his face. Most of the panties and bras were practical, like his Emma, but there were some lacy pieces of lingerie that he knew she had bought _just_ for him. 

He took out a dark red, particularly silky pair of boyshorts and closed the drawer. He ran the material through his fingers, then lifted it up to his nose but the only thing he could smell was the clean scent of Emma’s laundry detergent. Still he felt himself getting hard at the thought of Emma wearing this — and _only_ this — for him. His eyes fell on the laundry basket in the corner, then to the bed and back. 

His smile grew. 

==*=*== 

Regina led Emma down a warmly lit hallway, pointing out rooms in a hushed tone. “This one’s Henry’s room,” she whispered, stopping to rest her hand against the door. After a second, she walked on. “Across from him is Rosa’s room. And next to that is the guestroom.” 

Emma automatically took a step towards that door but Regina pulled her to the door across from it. “Regina?” 

Regina smiled as she opened the door in front of them. “And this is my room,” she whispered, “which you’re quite welcome to share tonight.” She leaned in to kiss Emma firmly but gently, her actions tinged with regret over the way she had reacted earlier that night. 

Emma fell into the kiss with ease, moving her lips eagerly against Regina’s. She couldn’t imagine anything better than curling up with Regina tonight — or even something _more_ — but they weren’t alone in the house and she didn’t know the rules. “Are you sure?” she asked once they parted. 

Regina nodded with a hum. “Emma, I’m so sorry about how I reacted at the diner,” she gave voice to her regret, leaning into the other woman. “Let me make it up to you.” 

“There’s nothing to make up for,” Emma replied softly. “You didn’t know, and I might have reacted the same way if the situation were the other way around. Remember how jealous I got over Henry on the weekend?” They both chuckled. “So there’s really nothing to make up for … but I certainly wouldn’t mind a third-date ending to our first date.” 

“Second base?” Regina asked, eyebrow spiked. 

“Sliding into home,” Emma purred with a smirk, “face first …” 

Regina groaned at the image those words invoked. “Gods, Emma …” 

Emma pulled back before she couldn’t anymore. “But what about Henry? And Rosa?” 

Regina smiled widely. “Henry could sleep through a tornado ripping through his room,” she stated. “In fact, he slept through the last few hurricanes that came through here …” She smiled fondly at the memory of how upset he had been just this summer that he hadn’t gotten to take photos of the way the trees had bent almost horizontally in the storm. “And Rosa? Well, let me put it like this: Rosa hasn’t slept in her own room in many, many years, so you don’t need to be worried about her.” 

Emma gaped at her and Regina laughed as she opened the door to her room and pulled Emma inside. “Come on,” she whispered, closing the door behind them and pressing Emma against the door. Her voice sounded a little pressed as she started pulling on Emma’s t-shirt to reveal a toned torso. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, pulling the shirt over Emma’s head. “I’m so sorry I ran.” Her lips trailed across Emma’s neck and down to her collarbone, leaving a wet trail that slowly turned into goosebumps. 

Emma pulled Regina into a searing kiss, all tongues and teeth, wet and hot. “Thank you for coming back to me,” she panted between kisses and nips, tearing at Regina’s clothes. “I want you,” she rasped, a hint of sudden desperation in her voice. 

Regina pulled back, trying to cool things down, to slow Emma down. “Are you sure? After everything that happened tonight … with him …?” 

Emma nodded. “ _Especially_ after tonight, especially with … Please, I need to remember that I am in control of my own life, that … Regina, please make me forget about _him_ , make me remember that my life is good, that what I have here is worth fighting for.” She met Regina’s eyes. “I don’t want to run away again … I just got here.” 

Regina had a feeling Emma was speaking of more than just her recent move to Miami. “I won’t let you run,” she promised with a nod, while divesting Emma of the rest of her clothes and shedding her own. “I won’t. He doesn’t stand a chance against us.” 

It was the perfect thing to say in that moment, and Emma growled deep in her throat as she tackled Regina, pushing her back onto the bed. 

==*=*== 

Killian lay spread out in Emma’s bed, naked, groaning as he stroked himself faster and faster with his good hand, the red pair of panties clutched tightly between his fingers. He took deep breaths, inhaling Emma’s scent from the tank top he had taken from the laundry basket and put over his face. It wasn’t exactly what he had hoped to find, the _scent_ not intense enough, but it was better than nothing. 

In his mind’s eye Emma was there with him, stroking him, surrounding him with her scent and her voice, pleading for him to come all over her. His hips stuttered once, twice, then he groaned his release, catching it in red silk. 

He grunted, then exhaled loudly before relaxing his tensed muscles with a satisfied smile on his face. He wasn’t planning on sleeping — at least not for long — but he had set the alarm on his phone just in case, so he allowed himself the feeling of basking in the afterglow and getting the rest he needed, in his angel’s bed and surrounded by her scent. 

==*=*== 

Emma pressed her head back into the pillow with a low groan, back arched tightly as another orgasm ripped through her body. Regina’s fingers twisted once more, her lips tugged at the hood of her clit as the tip of her tongue flicked once, twice before Emma’s overly sensitive body collapsed on the bed, completely spent from almost too much pleasure. Emma had lost count but Regina had taken her wish to forget everything to heart and had made her come again and again until Emma’s body just _couldn’t_ come anymore. “I can’t … no more,” she croaked hoarsely, her hand weakly pulling on Regina’s shoulder. “Need you up here … please.” 

Regina followed the command willingly and with a satisfied smirk despite the throbbing ache between her own legs. Her focus had been entirely on Emma, on giving her pleasure, on making her forget, on giving her something to fight for, and now she was so close to orgasm herself that she knew it only needed a short, swift touch and she would come. 

Emma noticed the way Regina pressed her wetness against her thigh, and the way Regina’s hips seemed to undulate and press against her almost without conscious thought. “Allow me,” she rasped as her hand moved down Regina’s back and between her legs. She felt satiated and sleepy but not so much that she couldn’t take care of Regina first. Her fingers slipped into Regina from behind as her hips surged up to press against a swollen clit. “Jesus, you’re so wet … so hot.” 

Regina gasped at the sudden stimulation. “Please, please,” she almost sobbed in relief. “I need you … please … I’m so close …” 

“I’ve got you,” Emma rumbled, adding another finger and pushing harder, deeper. “Let go … come for me.” 

And with one more hard push of Emma’s fingers, Regina came with a loud groan, mouth pressed into Emma’s shoulder so as not to be too loud. She felt as if her orgasm lasted forever, much longer than it should have given the embarrassing rapidity with which it had been achieved but finally her body sagged bonelessly into Emma’s waiting arms. 

“Can’t move,” Regina muttered after several minutes when she became conscious of the fact that she was probably suffocating Emma. 

“Then don’t,” Emma replied, sounding relaxed and sleepy. She ran her hands up and down Regina’s back. “I like you just where you are.” 

“Squishing you.” Regina’s voice was muffled by a yawn but she sluggishly rolled herself onto her back next to Emma who immediately curled against her. 

“Thank you for tonight,” Emma breathed, already half asleep, and a few more seconds later Regina could hear her breathing deepen and even out completely in sleep. 

“Sweet dreams.” Tenderly, Regina pushed a lock of blond hair behind Emma’s ear and pressed a kiss into her hair. She studied Emma’s relaxed face for a long moment before reaching over to the bedside table to turn off the light. Even in the darkness, her eyes went back to Emma’s face although it was almost impossible to see anything. There was a lump in her throat when she thought of the trust that Emma had shown her tonight despite her own stupid behavior, and her heart swelled. She closed her eyes with a sigh. 

“You scare me to death, Emma Swan,” she breathed into the night, her words barely a whisper. Regina wasn’t ready to utter these thoughts in the light of day, and especially not in Emma’s presence or when she was awake. And even here, under cover of night, with Emma sleeping peacefully beside her, she didn’t dare utter the next thought out loud. _I think I might be falling in love with you._

In the darkness, Emma smiled in her sleep. 

==*=*== 

Myka wasn’t quite sure what woke her up at first but then she felt Helena twitch in her arms just as she let out a small groan. Before she could even think about doing anything to calm her wife, Helena shot up in bed with a gasp, panting, eyes wide open. 

Myka rested a hand in the middle of Helena’s back, like she often did during and after her wife’s nightmares. “Bad one?” she murmured, having given up on asking what they were about. Helena never told her anyway, no matter how often she asked. 

“I don’t … I’m not sure.” Helena swallowed and switched on her bedside lamp, causing Myka to blink. “Sorry,” Helena whispered when she noticed. “Just needed …” She broke off, pointing at the warm light surrounding them. 

“‘’S’okay,” Myka rumbled and moved her fingers on H.G.’s back in soft, slow circles. She checked the alarm clock on her side of the bed. “Want me to make you some tea?” Helena was a coffee addict like herself but when she woke up from nightmares, she often enjoyed a nice cup of herbal tea. 

“It wasn’t one of the normal ones,” Helena said haltingly, surprising Myka so much her hand stilled on H.G.’s back. “I just … Regina was there and some guy … and there was blood … we were at work, I think … Emma was screaming … I don’t know.” The look she gave Myka was helpless. “It was strange.” 

“It was just a dream, honey,” Myka said softly as she sat up and pulled Helena into her arms. “One of the cases we had this week probably triggered it. It was just a patient and Regina taking care of him like she does.” 

“Maybe,” H.G. murmured as she tried to relax in Myka’s arms. It wasn’t like she ever had premonitions, so Myma was probably right and there was no reason to worry … but still, the few fragments of the dream she could remember refused to leave her mind, not even when Myka softly sang to her while stroking her hair. 

There was no more sleep for Helena that night. 

==*=*== 

The alarm woke him from his deep slumber. He raised his head to squint around the darkness, a smile forming on his face when he remembered where he was. His hand still clutched the red silk, stained and sticky with the evidence of his earlier activities and he barely managed to resist the urge to do it again, although he was already getting hard again. 

He rolled out of bed, leaving it just the way it had been when he had arrived and got dressed. He put the tank top back in the laundry basket and the soiled pair of panties in the pocket of his black jeans. His trophy, and one he was planning on using again. Soon. 

He checked around the room and the apartment, only leaving when he couldn’t see any trace of his presence. For a moment he was sad that he had no gift to leave behind for Emma, but if she should return here with that woman, it would be better not to alert Regina Mills that he had been here and that he and Emma were working together to free Emma from her clutches. 

He pulled the door close behind himself and walked to his car in the pre-dawn darkness. 

_Time to go to work._

**TBC in Episode 6**


	10. Episode 6, Part 1: Loco and Lola

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I only own my original characters, nothing else. 
> 
> A/N: Here's the first part of Episode 6. Lots of talking, not much action (sorry, but there might be more of that in Part 2). The gamers among you might recognize a new guest character. ;-)

The alarm woke Emma from a deep sleep, and she was disoriented for a long moment. Slowly, her sluggish brain began to register details of her situation. For one, she was naked, which wasn’t all that unusual. She’d always appreciated sleeping in the buff. She was also pressed against another, equally naked human being. Emma rubbed her nose against the incredibly soft and silken skin she rested against and drew in a content breath. “Hmm,” she hummed, soft and low, in case her lover was still asleep. 

Regina’s rumbling chuckle told her they were both awake. “Good morning.” Regina’s voice was raspy from sleep and sent a jolt down Emma’s spine. 

“I say it again,” Emma mumbled in a husky, sleepy croak. “Your voice is deadly like that.” She pushed herself up and over Regina, hoping for a kiss and maybe something more, but a hand on her chest stopped her inches from her goal. “What?” Emma asked, not caring in the least if she sounded whiny. It was early and her caffeine levels were running dangerously low, and all she wanted was a kiss. Okay, maybe that wasn’t _all_ she wanted because here she was, naked in bed with Regina, so no, a kiss definitely wasn’t all she wanted. But apparently, she was alone in that. “Why are we up at oh dark thirty anyway?” Emma muttered when she realized that it was mostly still dark outside. “Didn’t we just go to sleep?” 

“We did,” Regina replied apologetically, one finger tapping distractedly against Emma’s sternum as she tried to convince herself that they really had to get up. They didn’t _have time have time have time_ for another round. She craned her neck to check the alarm. “It’s just after six.” 

“What the hell? Does it _really_ take this long to go to work from here?” Emma groaned. “No wonder you have an apartment close to the hospital.” 

“It’s not just that,” Regina said slowly. “Henry usually gets up at 6.15 on school days, and as soon as he remembers I’m here, he _will_ storm through that door to say good morning.” 

Emma eyes went to the door and back to their very close, very naked bodies. “Oh.” 

“Yeah, so I thought it wise to give us a few minutes to wake up and put some clothes on before Hen—“ 

“Henry asks questions you don’t want to answer yet,” Emma interrupted as she moved away from Regina and sat on the edge of the bed looking adorably rumpled. “I understand.” 

Regina sat up as well and wrapped an arm around Emma’s middle from behind. “I’m not sure you do, Emma,” she whispered, her lips pressed directly against an ear. “I simply don’t want him to find us _naked_ ,” she continued. “I know perfectly well that I won’t be able to stop any of his questions … and I certainly won’t lie to my son, but there are degrees to what a child needs to know.” 

Emma turned her head in surprise, almost crashing their foreheads together. “You want to tell Henry about us?” 

Regina bit her lip. “If he asks the right questions, I won’t lie,” she explained, knowing that he probably wouldn’t. “But other than that, I’m just going to say that you’re a friend and we work together.” 

“I guess that’s fair,” Emma replied solemnly. “Can’t tell him too much. We’ve only known each other a week, and who knows what happens with Jones … I might not even be here next week.” 

Regina tightened her hold on Emma and swallowed hard. “Everything will be okay. We’re going to make sure you’re safe. .. we’re going to figure this out.” 

Emma marveled at the warm feeling in her chest at the words. “We? As in you and me?” 

“You and me,” Regina confirmed. “And Myka and Helena and Pete,” she added. “And if need be, Rico and his men.” And whoever else Regina could think of if she had to. 

“You ever gonna tell me what _that_ is all about?” 

“Some day,” Regina sighed. “Let’s deal with the more imminent problem first, okay?” 

“My stalker?” 

“Henry.” Regina disentangled herself from Emma and got up, unwittingly putting her naked body on display for Emma. “It’s 6.15 and we should get dressed in case Rosa can’t rein in the little prince this morning.” 

She bent down to pick up the clothes that had gotten tossed all over the floor last night, ignoring the low groan that escaped Emma’s lips at the sight. She tossed Emma her shorts, t-shirt and underwear, before disappearing in a small walk-in closet. When she realized that Emma had yet to move, she poked her head out and pointed at a door next to the bed that Emma hadn’t noticed before. “That’s a bathroom,” she hinted. “And here … you might need this.” 

Emma didn’t get around to asking _what_ before a pair of black boyshorts and a fresh t-shirt hit her in the face. “A _Marlins_ shirt? Oh man, really …?” With a shake of her head and a smile she entered the bathroom to take a shower. 

A minute later, the bedroom door opened and a very excited Henry stormed in and immediately wrapped himself around his thankfully mostly-dressed mother. “You’re still here!” he pointed out the obvious as Regina ruffled his hair. “Are we going to have breakfast together? Can you take me to school this morning?” 

Only then did he seem to hear the shower going in the bathroom. “Mom, who’s in your bathroom?” 

**o—o—o**

“Who’re you? Why were you in my mom's shower?” 

The blunt, critical question and the raised eyebrow coming from the boy standing in front of her made Emma extremely glad she got completely dressed in the bathroom. 

“Henry,” Regina warned, but the smile mitigated the tone. “Remember your manners, please.” 

“Sorry, mom,” the boy mumbled not all that sincerely. His eyes never left Emma who felt like a specimen under the probing gaze. “Good morning,” he continued, a little more friendly, and held out his hand to Emma. “My name is Henry. Who are you?” 

Emma smiled at his stance, somewhere between curious and protective of his mother. She took his hand and shook it solemnly as she bent her knees a little to get closer to his height. “Hello, Henry,” she greeted him, trying hard not to smile at the slight scowl on his face, which wasn’t made any easier by the way Regina had to hide her chuckle behind a quickly raised hand. “My name is Emma, and I work with your mom.” 

“And the shower?” he asked bluntly. 

Emma chuckled. “We had a … a spontaneous sleepover last night … because it got late,” she explained. “So your mom let me use her shower and gave me a t-shirt this morning.” Emma sent Regina a raised eyebrow over Henry’s head. “The Marlins, Regina? Really?" 

Regina laughed. “Sorry,” she said, an unrepentant grin on her face. “Honestly, it was the first thing I grabbed. Would you like something else?” 

“What do you have against the Marlins?” Henry asked in an offended tone. “Or do you hate baseball in general?" 

Emma turned back to the boy. “Oh, I like baseball, Henry,” she replied. “But I used to live in Seattle, so I got used to the Mariners.” 

“Well, now that you’re in Miami, you can get used to the Marlins,” Henry offered logically. “They’re pretty awesome … even if they lose a lot. You have to come to a game with us sometime!” 

Emma resisted the urge to smile widely at the boy who was so obviously Regina’s son. “I guess I’m keeping this shirt,” she told Regina with a wink. 

“Good. Henry is—“ 

“Mom,” Henry interrupted, his thoughts still on all the information he had received from Emma. “How come Emma was here? You _never_ have people over when you’re here.” 

Regina ran her hand through his hair. “I know, mijo, but I think Emma might be an exception to that.” Before he could ask anything else, she gently pushed him towards the door. “Please let Rosa know we’ll be there in a moment for breakfast. We have to go to work soon, and you have school.” 

With a nod to his mother and one last look over his shoulder at Emma, the boy ran off. Regina closed the door behind him, stopping Emma who was just about to follow and pushing her against the door. 

“I like him,” Emma whispered even as she was surprised by the unexpected move. 

“I like him too,” Regina smiled. 

“Ah, but does he like me?” 

“Now that you’re officially a Marlins fan,” Regina said, pulling at the hem of Emma’s t-shirt, “I’m sure he’ll like you just fine.” 

Emma was getting a little breathless from Regina’s closeness and the playful sparkle in her eyes. “And what about his mom? Does she like me?” 

“Maybe.” Regina wet her lips with her tongue. “She would like you better if you stopped talking and finally gave her the good morning kiss she deserves after last night, though.” 

Emma almost pointed out that it wasn’t her fault they hadn’t kissed yet but refused to waste precious seconds. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t play with Regina. She captured Regina’s lips in a sweet but very chaste kiss, barely more than a peck. “Like this?” 

Regina sighed dramatically. “I guess it’ll have to do,” she said, sounding more dejected than Emma had expected. “Although it was a little lukewarm conside—“ 

Emma didn’t let her finish as she pulled Regina into a searing kiss that heated the space around them in seconds. “That better?” Emma gasped when the kiss was over, one hand still digging into Regina’s hips, her legs a little shaky. 

“Much better,” Regina purred. “Good morning, Doctor Swan.” 

“Good morning, Doctor Mills,.” Emma smiled as Regina took a step back to reach behind Emma and open the door just as a loud shout of _“Moooom!”_ echoed down the hallway. 

**o—o—o**

H.G. gently and carefully moved out from under her wife who merely sniffled once in her sleep, then burrowed deeper into the pillow H.G. replaced her body with. Myka had stayed up with Helena after her nightmare, but had finally succumbed to sleep curled into H.G.’s side. 

H.G. grabbed some clothes, then got dressed in the living room, trying not to wake Myka who wouldn’t need to get up for about another half hour. Once she was dressed, she went to the kitchen to make some tea. Usually she’d go for coffee but this morning the unremitting anxiety from her dream demanded some tea. 

She inhaled the steam of the piping hot brew, trying to clear her mind so she could analyze the uneasy feeling that had kept her from falling asleep again. She’d had this kind of feeling before, she just couldn’t pinpoint when. Maybe the tea would bring clarity. The nightmare was eating at her — even if it _was_ only a dream — and the more she thought about it, the more she felt the urge to talk to Regina. Myka was the woman she shared her life with; Regina was the one who soothed her nightmares. 

She checked the time on her phone and bit her lip in indecision for a second before scrolling to Regina’s number and pressing the call button. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them had woken the other to talk, and H.G. knew without a doubt that it wouldn’t be the last. 

Regina answered after the third ring, sounding fully awake. “Helena? Something wrong?” 

H.G. smiled at the concerned greeting. “Actually, I was wondering the same about you,” she replied. “I can’t explain it … I had a weird nightmare and I woke up with this strange, edgy feeling. Almost as if something had happened … or would happen. The last time I woke up feeling this was the morning before I got that lovely hole in my shoulder …” She had finally remembered as she was talking why the dream-induced anxiety had seemed familiar. 

“Really?” 

Regina’s voice sounded far less surprised than H.G. expected. In fact, she sounded intrigued, and maybe even a little anxious herself. “Did something happen, Regina?” 

H.G. could hear voices away from the phone and wondered if Regina had gone home to spend time with Henry. “Could you and Myka meet us for breakfast at Ruby’s before work?” Regina ignored Helena’s question. “And could you call Pete as well? Something did happen, and we need to talk to you three.” 

“We? As in you and—“ 

“Yes,” Regina replied simply. “Could we meet in an hour or so?” 

“I guess I won’t get a hint what this is about?” Helena murmured, but she knew it was a rhetorical question at best. “Sure, I’ll call Pete and we’ll be there.” 

“Thank you.” 

H.G. tapped the phone against her chin a few times after ending the call. Speaking to Regina hadn’t exactly made her feel better, but at least she now knew that she probably wasn’t completely imagining the feeling she had, no matter how unusual it was. 

She checked the time again, then typed out a message to Pete and sent it. Two seconds later, her phone beeped with a message from the nurse with nothing but a thumbs-up emoticon. She envied the man’s ability to just roll with things sometimes. 

Helena walked over to the window and watched as the city slowly came to life around her. It felt like change was in the air, and in her line of work — both as a surgeon and as a soldier — that wasn’t always a good thing. She sighed and looked towards the bedroom. 

Time to wake up Myka. 

**o—o—o**

“Change of plans,” Regina announced as she walked back into the kitchen, brushing by Emma who had lingered in the doorway, waiting for her. “We’re meeting the team for breakfast at Ruby’s.” 

“Good idea,” Emma murmured. “I doubt _he’ll_ be back to the diner now that he revealed his presence there once.” 

“Are you talking about the man Rosa told me about?” a new voice said from behind them. 

Emma and Regina turned around in unison. “Buenos días, papá,” Regina smiled and hugged him, while Emma looked on, slightly surprised at the older man, although she wasn’t sure why. For some reason — given Regina’s last name — Emma had assumed her Latina heritage had come from only her mother. 

By the time Regina let go of her father with a kiss to his cheek that had the older man smiling widely, Emma had her surprise under control. At least she hoped so as she attempted a sincere and open smile. 

Regina touched her shoulder. “Papá, this is the new surgeon on my team and my … friend, Emma Swan.” 

Henry Mills mustered Emma. So this was the woman his Regina had brought home, the one Rosa swore would be great for Regina. From the smile on his daughter’s face it could very well be true. “Good morning, Doctor Swan,” he finally said, holding out his hand with a steady, piercing look. 

“Please call me Emma.” She shook his hand firmly, hoping that her palm wasn’t as clammy as she felt it should be considering her sudden nerves. She’d never been good with parents of friends, always feeling awkward and socially inadequate. Not that she had met that many of them … but she remembered meeting Callie’s father on his first trip to Seattle, and she could still recall being intimidated by him, even years later. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have a beautiful home …” Emma stopped herself abruptly before she could begin to babble or wonder why Regina’s father was still gripping her hand so tightly. 

Regina sent her a warm smile but had to bite her lip to stop a chuckle at the scene. 

“Stop intimidating the girl,” Rosa ordered from the table, and Henry let go of Emma’s hand with a small smile. “Sit down and have some coffee.” 

“Mom had a sleepover,” Henry piped up from the table, speaking around his cereal. 

“Yes,” Henry Sr. replied with a chuckle. “I’m well aware of that.” He sent his daughter a look. “Want to tell me what’s going on with that man you’re running from?” 

“Henry,” Rosa warned with a side-glance at Henry. “This is not a topic for the breakfast table.” 

“Lo siento, querida,” Henry said immediately. “But I want to talk to you two,” he added to Regina, finger pointing at her and Emma in turn. 

Regina looked over her shoulder at her son who was talking animatedly to Rosa, then turned back to her father. “Your study?” 

Henry Mills Sr. closed the door of his study behind Emma and Regina. “So, you have a stalker,” he said to Emma. 

“Yes,” both women replied simultaneously. 

Regina took Emma’s hand, a gesture not lost on her father whose lips twitched in an almost-smile. “He’s the reason Emma had to leave Seattle.” 

Henry Sr. nodded. “How long has that man been after you?” 

“I’m not sure.” Emma shrugged, feeling bad that she couldn’t answer the question, but she had been asking herself the same thing for months. “I started noticing about six months ago, but he might have had this … obsession for longer than that.” She saw Regina’s father studying her intently. _Hello microscope, I’m a bug._ “He worked at the same hospital,” she added as an explanation. 

“He’s a doctor?” Henry Sr. and Regina asked simultaneously. 

“Janitor,” Emma corrected quickly, remembering that she hadn’t told Regina much the night before. “But I think he liked to pretend he was one. He has this disfigured left hand, missing parts of a couple of fingers, so that probably prevented a career as a surgeon.” 

“Janitor, huh? Well, then he knows exactly how to blend in on a busy hospital floor,” Regina muttered. 

“Tell me one thing, Doctor Swan,” Henry said, his voice grave. “Will that man be a threat to my daughter? Is she in danger?” 

“Papá!” 

“It’s all right, it’s a valid question,” Emma stopped Regina. “Unfortunately, I can’t really answer it. All I know is that as far as anyone can tell, he hasn’t harmed anyone. He didn’t hurt any of my friends and coworkers in Seattle … but the difference was that I wasn’t dating any of them … I really have no idea what he’s going to think or do …” 

Regina squeezed Emma’s hand. 

“Do you think he saw you with Regina and knows you’re … more than coworkers then?” Henry sounded worried, and Emma couldn’t blame him for it. 

“I do, although he can’t have been here long.” Emma bit her lip in thought. “He had to figure where I went … and I still have no idea how he figured _that_ out.” 

“He could have just googled you … The hospital website is updated pretty regularly by HR,” Regina said softly. “It’s quite possible they would have published a new hire to the alpha team … I told you this whole team is suddenly high profile after that stupid article.” 

“It was a _good_ article, corazón,” Henry chided her. “Rosa bought 20 or more copies of the paper that day. Let me know if you want one, Doctor Swan.” Regina cringed at his words and Emma’s nod and grin, but before she could say anything, her father continued. “You need to stay safe, so coming here was a good idea, and not just because I got to meet your lovely new _friend_ months or years before I would have met her otherwise.” He smiled at Emma and sent Regina a reproving look. “Does Helena know about this business?” 

“We’re telling the rest of the team over breakfast. We’re off to Ruby’s in a minute.” 

“Good, good … she can help keep you safe,” Henry murmured, looking lost in thought. “I trust her, and you … and I suppose you will inform hospital security … but I will make some phone calls just in case, maybe add some more security for you and this lovely young lady at the hospital.” 

“Papá! We don’t need a bodyg—“ 

“Sir, I don’t think that’s—“ 

“I _do not_ take chances with the safety of the people I love,” Henry interrupted Emma, tone more serious than it had been all morning. He turned back to Regina. “If you think your apartment is not safe, come back here — _both_ of you — until this is solved, or stay on the boat. It should be safe if you take it out on the water … and if you think it isn’t, you can always use mine.” He walked to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a set of keys, which he handed to Regina. “If anything out of the ordinary happens, and I mean _anything_ , call Rico, you hear me?” 

“Yes, papá,” Regina said with a smile for her father, as she clutched the keys tightly in her hand. “But we’re going to be fine.” 

“Oh, I’m sure of that,” Henry replied easily. “Because Doctor Swan here knows that if something happens to you or if you get hurt she won’t have another quiet minute,” he added. His piercing gaze, so disconcerting from his gentle, dark eyes, met Emma’s. “Am I right?” 

Despite his stance, Emma didn’t feel threatened by him at all, and she doubted his words were meant as a threat either, but he was Regina’s father and she nodded reflexively. “Nothing is going to happen to Regina, Sir,” she stated confidently. 

“Or _you_ , Doctor Swan,” Henry Sr. replied. “The way I see it _that_ would hurt my daughter, so you’d best take care of yourself too.” 

Regina shook her head but couldn’t help her smile at his father’s quiet smile and Emma’s blush. “We need to go if we want to take Henry to school before breakfast,” she said. “I’ll keep you updated.” 

“You better, or Rosa is going to call you every half hour … you know her,” Henry Sr. nodded. “Would you allow me a minute in private with my daughter, Emma?” 

Emma looked to Regina who gave her smile. “Could you ask Rosa for some coffee to go, please? I’ll be right there.” 

As soon as the door closed behind Emma, Henry turned to Regina. “I like her,” he said. 

“I like her too.” 

“I can see that, mija, and it makes my old heart sing,” he said with a wide smile. “I want you to be happy, so you better—“ 

“Be careful, I know,” Regina rolled her eyes. “We will.” 

“Maybe you should call your old friend Jam—“ 

“That won’t be necessary … I can’t let him risk all his progress,” Regina said quickly. “I have to go. Te amo, papá.” 

Henry sighed at the obvious brush-off. “Te amo, mija.” 

**o—o—o**

Emma decided not to mention the black car that pulled out of the gate behind them and followed them to Henry’s school, especially since Henry was waving at the driver out of the back window. Regina’s father really was taking the safety of his family seriously, and she was quite certain that there was more behind that than the paranoid behavior of a rich man. Henry Mills hadn’t struck her as being prone to flights of fancy, so Emma assumed that whatever was at the root of all his security concerns was something major. Maybe she should just google him to slake some of that curiosity. If only that thought didn't feel like a betrayal of trust ... 

Emma watched as Regina took Henry to the gate of the school and hugged him tightly before giving a short wave to the black car that parked across the street from the school. She was pulled out of her observation by the beeping of her phone. _Oh._ Callie had sent her a picture of the photo of Jones, still stuck to the dart board at the hospital. She laughed when she zoomed into the photo and could see the various holes the darts had made. Well, at least now she could show the others what he looked like. 

She put the phone away just as Regina climbed back into the car. “Ready for breakfast?” 

“More coffee definitely can’t hurt,” Emma replied, shaking her empty travel mug, “although Rosa’s coffee is just as good as Ruby’s. No wonder you can’t stand the sludge at the hospital.” 

“Unfortunately, most days that’s all we’re getting,” Regina sighed mournfully. “We have to figure out a way to get Ruby to deliver more regularly, and not just as a favor to get into your pants.” 

“She did it as a favor so _I_ could get into _your_ pants, Regina,” Emma pointed out with a grin. 

“So you say,” Regina insisted but she smiled and rested her hand on Emma’s which had somehow found its way to Regina’s thigh. 

“It’s the truth.” 

“Hmmm.” Regina was silent for a few moments. “You seemed a little surprised when you met my father,” she finally commented as casually as she could. 

“You noticed, huh?” Emma ran her free hand through her hair, slightly embarrassed at being caught. 

“I do pay attention some of the time.” 

What Emma heard was _I pay attention to you_ and a warm feeling spread in her chest. _So how do I explain without insulting my girlfriend?_ “Yeah, I was a little surprised … With a last name like Mills I sort of expected your father to be …” 

“Caucasian?” 

“Yeah … stupid, I know.” 

“Presumptuous maybe … but not entirely unusual.” Regina looked over at Emma for a moment. “It’s my mother’s maiden name and she got it from her father,” she explained. “She made him take her name when they got married. My mother was … _is_ ambitious and thought her name would suit her upwardly mobile plans better than Molinero." 

“And your father went along with it?” 

“He loved her more than he loved his name,” Regina replied, her voice tight. 

“So was the company your mother’s too?” 

Regina shook her head. “No, that’s all my father’s side of the family. My grandfather started it, but when my father got married, it was still so small that a name change didn’t really matter. It only grew into this big thing after they got married.” 

“Thank you for telling me,” Emma murmured. “I know how private you are, so everything you did for me yesterday and today … I really appreciate it.” 

“I also ran away from you in a jealous huff last night and left you to deal with some devastating news alone,” Regina pointed out self-critically, although Emma really didn’t need a reminder of that. “I think I owed you a little … trust after that.” 

Emma squeezed her hand in reply as the car rolled to a stop in front of Ruby’s diner. “Thank you anyway,” Emma repeated. She lifted Regina’s hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, before letting go with some reluctance. “Let’s go show Ruby we’re okay.” 

**o—o—o**

Killian Jones sat in his car in the hospital parking lot, watching the comings and goings. He took notes in his little notebook, writing down who talked to whom, especially if they were people he had seen with Emma or that Mills woman the day before. 

Slowly, a plan was forming in his mind, but he would need time and patience. He wasn’t exactly the most patient of men, but for his Emma he had to try. He ran his fingers over the red panties lying in his lap and took a deep breath, never taking his eyes off the hospital entrance. 

_There._

He sat up a little straighter and his hands clenched into tight fists. He watched a dark-haired woman who walked into the hospital with a swing in her steps. That was her. _That_ was the woman who would help him get his angel back. 

**o—o—o**

“So let me get this straight,” Pete recapped about ten minutes later around half a croissant in his mouth. “There’s some moron out there who’s stalking Emma, and he’s the reason you did the quick transfer to Miami Trauma.” 

Emma nodded. “He started out harmlessly enough, paying me compliments, asking me out to coffee, to dinner, for drinks, but when I declined …” 

“He became obsessive?” Myka muttered. 

“He started following me, sending me stuff,” Emma confirmed. “Then he started showing up at our house and …” 

“And?” H.G. asked. 

“And although we couldn’t prove it, we think he broke into our house and went through my stuff, and maybe that of my friends,” Emma explained. “That’s when I finally called the cops.” 

“Since he’s here now I’m assuming they didn’t do much,” Ruby piped up from beside their table, where she had remained listening closely, eager to know more after the previous night’s events. She had already sworn to get out her grandmother’s shotgun from behind the counter should he ever dare show his face in her diner again. 

“According to them, he hadn’t done anything they could get him on, so no. They weren’t particularly interested in spending time on some _lovesick fool who’s probably harmless_ ,” Emma quoted bitterly and sighed. “He only got worse after that.” 

“Worse how?” Regina growled. “Did he …” She couldn’t even finish the question. 

“No, no,” Emma said, trying to sound reassuring. “He just _never_ left me alone. He was always there … It got so bad that I could barely go to work anymore. The hospital finally fired him and called the cops when he walked into the emergency room and refused to leave again until I went out with him. That was the last straw for me … I was up to the elbow in some poor guy’s guts and he was standing there talking about how he was my true love and we were going to get married.” 

“Jesus,” Pete breathed. “No wonder you were kinda skittish when I asked you out.” 

That bit of information got him a glare from Regina and chuckles from the other women at the table, which he took good-naturedly, still very much oblivious to the growing relationship between Emma and Regina. 

“Yeah,” Emma continued. “I started looking for a transfer that day, and I was lucky that the spot here was open.” 

“And when the cops let him go — _again_ — he figured out you had left and where you went, and followed you,” Pete put together the final pieces. 

“What does he look like?” H.G. asked Ruby, who was the only one besides Emma who had seen him. 

“Here.” Emma pulled out her phone and pulled up an image. “My friend Callie sent me a picture this morning.” She put the phone in the middle of the table. 

Regina raised her eyebrow at this, so Emma leaned close. “You were just escorting Henry to school,” she whispered. 

“Ah.” With that Regina reached for the phone but Helena got there first. “Nice holes all over his face,” she muttered. “Your friends in Seattle obviously made good use of the photo.” 

“Is that a mugshot?” Myka asked. 

Pete leaned over and nodded. “Looks like it.” He dribbled a drop of jam on the phone and quickly wiped it away with a sheepish grin and a shrug. 

Ruby leaned over to get a better look. “Yep, that’s him … he still looks like that,” she confirmed. “Well, unfortunately his actual face doesn’t have all those lovely holes … yet.” 

Regina stared at the photo, something niggling at the back of her head. “I’ve seen him before,” she muttered. “I’m not 100% sure but I think he might have been at the hospital yesterday.” Pete grabbed the phone again for a closer look but shook his head. “And I think he’s the man I almost ran over in the parking lot last night when I came back here after—” 

Emma gaped at her. “Are you sure?” 

Regina nodded, smiling ruefully. “If I had known, I would have stepped on the gas instead of the brakes …” 

Ruby chuckled, and Emma looked up at the sound. When she did, her eyes fell on a man who had just entered the diner and was walking towards their table. “Whoa,” she breathed. 

“What?” Five voices asked in various stages of concern. 

“That guy who’s heading straight for us,” Emma kept staring at the man in question. “That’s a _mountain_ of muscle!” 

The huge, muscular and heavily tattooed man stopped at their table with the sunniest grin on his face. “Well, if it isn’t Lola and the gang,” he greeted the team. “Always a pleasure to see you, my Queen.” 

Emma gaped when the newcomer bent low and playfully bowed before Regina. Her eyes met Myka and she mouthed _Queen? Lola?_ but Myka just grinned at her. 

“Yes,” Regina drawled, remembering her conversation with her father only half an hour earlier. _He wouldn’t have, would he?_ “ _Quite_ a coincidence.” 

The huge man shrugged and unceremoniously straddled a chair he pulled over from a nearby table. “Okay, _coincidence_ is maybe not the word I’d use,” he admitted with a smirk. “Let’s just say, I was promised as much homemade _Camarón al Ajillo_ as I can eat for a month should I offer my assistance with a certain problem." 

“Rosa called you?" Regina sighed. “James, I told them—“ 

“Shh, don’t be mad at her for doing something you should have done first thing, Lola,” he interrupted seriously, his biceps bulging when he tensed his arms around the back of the chair. “I’ve always told you that your troubles are my troubles … I’m your big shiny knight or whatever, so roll with it.” His voice was light, but his face brooked no argument. “Now, why don’t you introduce me to the beautiful princess next to you, and then tell me what I need to know.” 

"There's a reason why I didn't want you involved," Regina protested. "I can't let you risk everything for—“ 

"Introductions first, Lola, then you can protest some more if it makes you feel better." His grin was disarming and Emma found herself liking him immediately, even if he looked intimidating enough. She grinned back. 

Regina rolled her eyes but everyone could tell that there was no real anger behind it. “James, meet Emma Swan, a new member of our team and my … well, my … friend.” 

James laughed at Regina’s uncharacteristic stammering. “ _Rosa dijo_ _ella es_ más _que una amiga_.” He waggled his eyebrows at the look on Regina’s face before holding out his hand. 

Regina ignored him. “Emma, this is James Vega … Loco." 

Emma wondered if that was a name or a description as she stretched out her arm in front of Regina, so she could shake his hand. “Pleased to meet you,” she said, even though she was still wondering what the hell was going on. All she could figure out was that there seemed to be a history between Regina and him, and that Rosa thought he could help them. 

“Pleasure’s all mine, Princess,” James replied with a grin as he gently squeezed Emma’s hand. “Call me Loco, or James or Vega if you prefer. Any friend of the queen is a friend of mine.” 

“All right,” Emma smiled. “Call me Emma or Swan.” 

“Sure thing, Princess.” 

Myka chuckled at the raised eyebrow Emma gave him. “Don’t mind him, he gives everyone nicknames.” 

James smiled at the waitress who put a huge coffee down in front of him, and immediately took a large gulp. "Good," he said, "now we have the formal introductions out of the way, tell me about that stalker." 

**o—o—o**

Later, as they were getting changed for their shift — Regina had gone to talk to admin and hospital security — Emma couldn't take the curiosity any longer. "Is _anybody_ going to tell me why that guy calls himself Loco?" she asked Helena and Myka. "Or why he calls Regina his _queen_? Did she save his life or what? I mean who _is_ this guy?” 

H.G. pushed her head through the opening of her scrub and pulled the top down with efficient movements. “Not quite.” 

“Not quite _what_?” Emma was beginning to sound a little exasperated. 

“Regina didn’t save _his_ life,” Myka explained. “She did something much more important for Loco: she saved his little sister.” 

“Ookay,” Emma drawled. “What happened?” 

H.G. went to pour herself some coffee but put the cup down in disgust after one sniff and went on the hunt for some orange juice instead. “A few years ago there was a small war between two gangs,” she said, voice muffled by the fridge door. “Loco ran the Third Street Valedores, a gang that consisted of a few kids mostly from the neighborhood. From what I know they dealt in petty theft, a little protection for money, petty crimes in general …but mostly kept to themselves.” 

“So he’s a gangbanger?” Emma asked. That did not sound like someone Rosa would call to help them. 

“He _was_ ,” Myka replied. “Things went downhill when a new gang moved into the surrounding neighborhoods, much more interested in running drugs for some cartel and waving around guns.” 

“Loco and his men actually tried to keep them out of their neighborhood, to protect the kids there, and the end result was a small turf war.” H.G. had finally found some juice and took a long sip straight from the bottle. “The other gang finally decided to get rid of the Valedores or at least Loco so they showed up in his street and shot up his house.” 

“An actual drive-by shooting?” Emma had only ever seen those on TV. 

“Yeah,” Myka nodded. “Loco was at the back of the house, so he was lucky … he only got hit in the arm by some bullet ricocheting off of something,” Myka added quietly. “But Ana, his sister, was playing out on the porch and Loco’s lieutenant was in the front room.” 

Emma stared between Myka and Helena. “They just shot a kid?” 

H.G. nodded. “It was a miracle that Ana was still alive when Loco brought her and Cortez in. It was a horrible sight … he was covered in blood, bleeding himself … No idea how he managed to get them in his car and here. They were both more dead than alive, and our boss back then was a no-show that day, so it all rested on Regina’s shoulders.” H.G. smiled, although a little grimly. “That was the day when I knew she was going to be the best trauma surgeon in the country one day. She took command like she was born to do so, organized everything with Pete … and she fought like a lioness for that little girl’s life.” 

“How old was the girl?” 

“Ana was eight … just a couple of years older than Henry back then,” Myka replied. “She had four GSWs, and it must have been hell for Regina to see a kid like that.” 

“But she did manage to save her?” Emma asked around the knot in her throat. Cases involving kids were always _the worst_ , but something so absolutely, ludicrously senseless like that? That was almost inconceivable to Emma, even after having seen her share of horrible cases. 

“She saved her,” H.G. confirmed, “and to this day I have no idea how. I mean I was in that trauma suite with her, but it felt like all I could do was stand there and watch her work miracle after miracle over countless hours, never losing her focus, never giving up.” Helena shook her head. “Ana lost her spleen, a good foot of her intestines, a piece of her lung, and a kidney that day …” 

“But she didn’t lose her life,” Myka finished. 

“And James’ … Loco’s friend?” 

H.G. and Myka sighed. “There was nothing anybody could do,” Myka said. “He had tried to get outside to Ana, to protect her, and he paid for that with his life.” 

“From that day on, Loco has been calling Regina his queen,” H.G. stated with a smile, “and he swore he would do anything she commanded of him for the rest of his life.” 

“I can’t imagine Regina actually making use of that,” Emma mused. 

“No, and she never has.” Myka shook her head. 

“The only thing she asked of him was that he'd try to turn his life around and didn’t try to avenge his friend and his sister,” H.G. corrected. 

“And did he?” 

“He did,” Regina said from the door. She came in, already undressing on the way to the lockers with swift economic movements. It was in no way meant to be sexy but Emma couldn’t take her eyes off her nonetheless. “Which is why I didn’t want him involved in this, no matter what my dad or Rosa might think.” She jerked her pager from her bag and clipped it onto her scrub pants. “He shouldn’t risk falling back into old habits.” 

“I agree,” Emma said immediately, seeing how upset Regina was. 

“Too late now,” H.G. reminded them both. “Once he’s got his eyes set on something, he’s going to do it.” 

“Unfortunately,” Regina growled. “And he’ll probably bring his old friends and then all hell is going to break loose.” She ran both hands through her hair. “I just don’t want Ana to have to visit him in prison. He’s all the family she has, and it was hard enough to keep him out the last time.” 

“Then let’s hope that Emma’s stalker decides to stay away fro—“ 

Myka was interrupted by all of their pagers going off. “Great,” H.G. sighed. “They’re bringing in two people they pulled out of a collapsed building. This ought to be a fun morning.” 

She and Myka headed to incoming, but Emma stopped Regina from following, knowing they had a few minutes and this might be the only time to talk for the rest of the day. “I’m so sorry my presence here is causing you all this stress,” she whispered sincerely, every word burning like acid in her throat. “I know that was the last thing you wanted or needed. Maybe I should go … I’m pretty sure Jones would follow, and then all those problems would go away.” 

Regina’s jaw dropped at the words. She looked incredulously at Emma but the other woman didn’t even notice since she was busy studying the pattern in the carpet. “Don’t be an idiot,” Regina demanded quietly, insistently. “None of this is your fault. And I’d really hate to have to explain your sudden departure to my family.” 

The words might not have been the most romantic declaration Emma had ever heard, but they made her heart skip a beat nonetheless. “You would?” 

Regina nodded. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she rasped, wiping a little moisture from under Emma’s eye with a thumb. “Now let’s go save some lives.” 

Emma sniffed and nodded, but before Regina could let go of her completely, Emma pulled her into a tight hug. “Tell me again,” she whispered. 

Regina tightened her arms around Emma. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she repeated, her lips caressing the shell of Emma’s ear. She pulled away far enough to see Emma’s eyes and smiled encouragingly. And then — just because she could and she felt Emma needed it — she pressed their mouths together for a short, sweet kiss, which was promptly interrupted by their pagers going off again. “We have to go,” Regina murmured. “You’re with me today.” 

Emma still looked a little rattled, but her smile at that rivaled the sun outside. 


	11. Episode 6, Part 2: Just Another Manic Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Not my characters.
> 
> A/N: The second part of the episode (there will be a third). It might not look like much is happening but I did sort of remember that this is a medical show ;-) ... and there's also some other stuff, some of which was unplanned, but the characters insisted on. I'm a slave to my muse.

Regina had left the less severely injured patient — although _less_ wasn't saying much in their line of work — to H.G. and Myka, feeling the need to throw herself into her work just to be able to think about something that wasn't _Emma_ and _the stalker_ and _Emma Emma Emma_. Of course having her in the trauma suite with her, teaching her, working on the same patient, side by side or standing across from her wasn't really helping all that much with that particular problem, but in here at least Regina had something more important to focus on. Besides, she had promised Emma at the cabin to actually start teaching her the fine art of pulling life back from the brink, and what better start than to try and put together the crushed body of someone who was buried under a pile of rubble. 

Regina only hoped they could save him because losing the first patient they had worked on together? That would suck, as Emma would probably say. 

It took about an hour for Emma to realize that H.G. had been absolutely right: watching Regina Mills doing everything she could to save a patient was truly a breathtaking sight. It also made Emma realize just how much she had to learn about being a trauma surgeon. She knew she was a good surgeon, had confidence in her skills, but there was a world of difference between being a general surgeon and being responsible for keeping someone from death’s door inside the golden hour. Especially if that someone was already more than halfway over the threshold like the man fighting for his life on the table between her and Regina right now. 

Emma tore tear her eyes away from Regina’s hands at the sound of insistent beeping from the heart monitor. “Pressure’s falling rapidly,” she announced, her hand stuck deep inside the huge open wound on the patient’s thigh as she tried to stabilize the femur enough for an orthopedic surgeon to actually find something to work on. _Torres would love this case._

Regina checked the numbers on the monitor, then the patient. When she noticed the spreading discoloration of the man’s chest, she nodded at Emma, her eyes crinkling in a smile. “You should recognize this, Doctor Swan.” She turned to Pete. “16-gauge.” 

Emma did in fact recognize the signs of a cardiac tamponade, and she was already on the move, knowing that Regina couldn’t stop what she was doing right then. “Isn’t it kinda unusual to have two of those in the span of a little more than a week?” She took the syringe from Pete and took her position across from Regina. 

Regina nodded, even though Emma’s eyes were on the patient’s chest. “Although in this case the first one was the more unusual occurrence. This guy had a house fall on him, after all.” 

Emma registered from the corner of her eyes that Regina’s hands had stilled inside the patient as she watched her, so she attempted to reassure her with a nod. Then she squared her shoulders and probed for the right spot. There was no flinching when she rammed the needle into the chest, and this time there also was no hesitation before she started drawing out the blood spreading inside his chest. 

The numbers went up steadily, and the beeping stopped. 

“Good work, Doctor Swan,” Regina drawled, feeling inordinately proud and wishing she could express that somehow. “Your heart surgeon friend in Seattle would be proud of you.” 

Emma’s eyes met Regina, and she knew the question in them would be easily read by Regina. _Are you?_

She received a minute nod, barely noticeable, but Emma saw the soft look in Regina’s eyes just fine, and it warmed her from the inside out. 

“Would you look at that,” Pete said with a grin, interrupting the moment. “I guess this is going to be your specialty now. Maybe we should start calling you 16-gauge Swan …” 

“It’s not going to be worth a damn if we don’t get the rest of his body stable enough to get him into an OR,” Regina pulled everyone back into the moment, and the tense, focused silence returned. 

With renewed energy — fueled by the feeling of acceptance she had seen in Regina’s eyes — Emma focused back on the patient, and on saving his life. 

**o—o—o**

“How in the hell can a building just collapse like that?” Myka asked as she surveyed the damage to the body on the trauma table. “What kind of a freak accident is that?” 

H.G. grunted as she tried to find an area on the body that wasn’t covered in bruises or scrapes. “The EMT said there was a sinkhole under the house and it just opened up,” she explained. Her eyes went to the large open wounds on the legs, with bits of white bone sticking out of them. “Looks like our friend here was on the second floor and landed on his feet. His legs are completely crushed.” 

“Or the house landed on him, and mostly on his legs,” Myka muttered. “If we get him to an OR alive, the ICU will need to be on the lookout for compartment syndrome.” 

“If,” Helena agreed. “And that’s a big if.” 

“Especially if Regina’s guy has similar injuries,” Myka said. “Let’s hope all the orthopedic surgeons are working today.” 

“Not to mention vascular,” Helena added. “A lot of his blood vessels are shredded.” 

“He’d be lucky to keep one of his legs.” 

“Well, let’s make sure he’s around to be mad at us for cutting off his legs if it needs to be done.” 

**o—o—o**

Killian Jones watched the hospital all day, making detailed notes on the comings and goings, jotting down times, describing people, paying special attention to the nurse he had chosen to help him early that morning. 

Between walks around the hospital grounds, he had sat down on a bench just outside the hospital entrance where he could see the people coming or leaving but would not be immediately seen, giving him time to disappear if need be. 

He wrote down where the janitors entered the hospital after cleaning the outdoor cafeteria area, he watched to see if there were any shift changes during the day, just in case he needed a backup plan. And finally he slipped inside the hospital — unnoticed, he was certain — to check out the storage areas. 

It was as he was sitting in the corner of one of the large surgical supply storage rooms going through his notes, hidden behind a large shelf, that his plan took on a clearer shape. 

**o—o—o**

Both teams finally managed to get the patients stable enough to be sent to ORs for surgery, which would hopefully save their lives, even if not all of their limbs. They barely had time for a short break and a coffee — the hospital sludge, not Ruby’s — before their pagers went off, alerting them to the next incoming trauma. 

“What do we have?” Regina asked Pete, knowing he sometimes got more information out of the EMTs calling ahead. 

Pete winced. “Traffic stop gone wrong,” he explained softly. “Cops stopped a car with a couple of young men inside.” 

“Oh, no,” Myka breathed, already expecting the worst. 

“Yeah,” Pete sighed. “Cop apparently walked up to the driver, who had a gun ready and pulled the trigger immediately. The second cop then more or less emptied his gun into the car through the rear window …” 

“And our incoming?” 

“One cop, the two men from the car, all with GSWs.” 

“Do we know anything more about the injuries yet?” H.G. asked. 

Just then two ambulances raced up to incoming, doors flying open instantly. EMTs jumped out, pulling two gurneys out of one and a single gurney out of the other, rattling off stats as they went. Two patrol cars skidded to a halt next to the ambulances, with several police officers rushing toward the gurneys. 

Regina pushed her way toward the patients, listening to the EMTs and assessing the situation with a few quick looks. The cop was doing fine, with only a relatively minor injury that shouldn’t have even made it to the trauma center, while the two men from the car both had life-threatening injuries visible even at first glance. She glared at the EMTs. “You know where the ER is,” she said with a pointed look at the fully alert cop. “Take him there.” 

“Sorry, cops made us take ’em all here,” one of the EMTs mumbled. “He’s all yours now.” 

Regina ignored his protest. She grabbed the gurney with a young man who looked like he was barely holding onto life and started pushing him to the trauma suites. “Dr. Wells,” she exclaimed. “You and Dr. Bering take the other one in Trauma 2. We’ll take care of this one.” 

She bent down to the young man to see if he was responsive, but he was unconscious. _Probably better for him._ “Let’s go,” she said, and started to move at a quick clip, Emma on the other side of the gurney. 

“Hey!” one of the cops shouted after her. “Wait a minute!” 

“Go on, I’m right behind you,” Regina told Emma with a sigh as she stopped and turned around to face the red-faced man. “ _What?_ ” 

“You’re the boss here? Shouldn’t you be taking care of Officer Jackson first?” He pointed at the police officer on the third gurney who was sitting up and talking to Pete. “Why would you even care about those Ali Babas? They shot a cop, they can rot in a corner!” 

Regina glared at the man who was keeping her from her patient even as she side-stepped Myka and Helena who pushed the second gurney in the direction of Trauma 2. She took a calming breath in an attempt not to explode at the cop. “Those two men are _severely_ injured,” she explained as calmly as she could, which still came out as a low, impatient growl. “Your fellow officer has a single GSW in the shoulder, which can be taken care of next door.” She turned to Pete. “Please direct these gentlemen to the ER. I have lives to save here.” 

With that, she turned around and sprinted down the hallway toward the trauma suite muttering curse words under her breath about losing precious seconds to stupidity. 

The police officer followed her with his eyes, face morphed into an ugly mask. “Stupid bitch,” he bit out. “Fucking bleeding heart! Caring more about terrorists than the cops that stopped them … Who do you think keeps you safe at night?” he shouted after Regina. “I should—“ 

“You should get Officer — Jackson, was it? — Officer Jackson to the emergency room,” Pete reminded him. “You can go through here.” He pointed out the shortest route and Officer Jackson nodded his thanks. He had already been transferred to a wheelchair by the EMTs, and seemed to be highly uncomfortable at the behavior of his fellow officer. 

“I’m sorry about this,” he said quietly as two other, equally subdued cops pushed him past Pete. “I told them I could just go see some doc, but he insisted. My partner’s a bit of a hot head, you know, but he’s a good man, and I’m just a rookie.” 

“We’re going to report this,” his partner threatened as his fellow officers pushed the wheelchair down the hallway. 

“Let’s go, Hank,” Jackson urged. “Let these people do their jobs.” 

“If that makes you feel better,” Pete replied with a shrug. “But this is a trauma center, which means _life-threatening_ injuries only. You should be happy your partner’s injury doesn’t need to be treated here. He’ll probably be out of here in a couple of days …” _And those boys sure as hell won’t._ “If you’ll excuse me now.” 

Pete jogged toward the trauma suites, the cop — Hank Whatever — hot on his heels. He even tried to follow Pete into the trauma room. 

“Out,” Regina bellowed, although Pete was already blocking his entry. 

“That fucking Arab shot my partner,” the cop shouted. “I’m sure as hell not gonna let him out of my sight.” 

“I don’t give a damn if you want to stay out in the hallway, but you won’t be in here!” Emma told him since Regina had already gone back to focusing on the patient. “Pete?” 

Emma turned back to the young man who was bleeding out in front of their eyes, trusting Pete to take care of the problem. “Jesus Christ,” she murmured. “What’s wrong with that cop?” 

Regina ignored her, too busy assessing what needed to be done first and trying to shove her own anger at the police back down. _So much senseless violence in this city,_ she mused. _Yeah, this kid shot first but did the cops have to riddle him and his friend with bullets?_ At first count, the young man had four GSWs, only one of which was not to the torso, and thus comparatively harmless. The rest would prove to be a challenge. 

“Let’s forget about the cops out there and see to it that this young man gets his day in court, shall we?” Regina said. 

Emma nodded and got to work. 

**o—o—o**

Next door, H.G. and Myka were assessing their own patient. “You showed remarkable restraint out there … I almost expected you to clock that cop one,” Myka said softly as they worked together to remove the bloody shirt he was wearing. “Oh, he looks so young.” 

“Bloody excuse for a cop,” H.G. growled. “What the hell happened to restraint? Emptying his gun? And _then_ calling them names afterwards?” 

Myka cut through the t-shirt, revealing a GSW to the right side of the chest and one to the left shoulder. “Just two,” she announced with some relief. 

“Unfortunately, no,” H.G. corrected her as she turned the boy’s head so Myka could see the other side. “Another one grazed his head. Quite deeply, but he was still lucky. An inch to the left and he’d be dead.” 

“Instead of just dying? Yeah …lucky.” Myka turned to one of the nurses. “Can you check if he’s got any ID on him? He can’t be more than 17.” 

The nurse checked the pockets of his pants and pulled out a wallet. “There’s a driver’s license here,” she said. “His name is Yusuf Halabi … and according to this he’s 22.” 

“I bet my hand that’s a fake,” H.G. said. “Which means our friend Yusuf here is probably underage, and we have no idea if that is even his real name.” 

“Too bad we can’t ask him,” Myka sighed. “Or his friend.” 

“Yet,” the nurse said. 

“Let’s patch him up and send him to the OR,” H.G. said. “We can ask him once he wakes up.” 

“He’ll be carted off by the police once he wakes up,” Myka reminded her. “Poor boy.” 

“Myka,” H.G. warned. “They _did_ shoot a cop without provocation.” 

“ _He_ didn’t. The driver did.” 

“Yes, and I’m sure there’s a story there but—“ 

“I know, I know.” Myka groaned. “It’s probably one we won’t ever get to hear. I can’t just stop caring though, you know?” 

“I know.” _That’s one of the many reasons why I love you so much._

**o—o—o**

When Regina had to call time of death on the man on her trauma table half an hour later, she had to bite back a tear at the waste of such a young life. They had exhausted every option, but in the end there was nothing they could do. He was losing blood faster than they could push it in, and the one bullet that had ripped through his guts from behind had done too much damage. The first two times his heart had stopped, Regina had been able to get him back. The third time it happened, his heart refused to restart, no matter what Regina tried. 

“I’ll be on the roof,” she rasped, not addressing anybody in particular, as she tore off her bloody gloves with jerky movements and tossed them away. The door of the trauma suite silently closed behind her as Pete covered the lifeless body and called the janitorial crew to clean up the suite before the next trauma came in. 

Emma stared after Regina, frozen in indecision. She watched as Regina had a few words with the group of cops gathered outside the trauma suite, who looked far too happy at the news that their patient had died. She watched as Regina shook her head at them, her whole body tense, face a stoic mask, and she kept her eyes glued to Regina’s rigid body until the woman disappeared from view. 

“You should go after her,” Pete suggested, touching her shoulder with a gentle hand. 

“I think it’s pretty damn clear that she wants to be alone,” Emma whispered, although every fiber of her being was ready to run after Regina. 

“And I think she wouldn’t mind seeing _you_.” 

Emma gave Pete a long look at the knowing smile on his face and wondered if she hadn’t underestimated his perceptiveness. Then Pete turned her around by the shoulders and gave her a slight push. “Go.” He turned back to the body on the table. “I’ll see if I can’t find out who this man was.” 

“I’m sure the cops know,” Emma muttered. 

“Do I look like I want to be talking to those guys?” Pete scowled in the direction of the police officers. “Now get out of here.” 

It was an order Emma was only too glad to follow. She stormed right past the cops and toward the team’s break room, wanting to throw some cold water on her face and brave another cup of that horrible coffee, even if only to give Regina a few minutes alone. At the door to the locker room she ran into James Vega, who was carrying two take-out trays with four to-go cups each. 

“Hey, Princess,” he said with a wide grin. “I come bearing gifts. One for now, one for later for my queen and her friends. I figured even nuked this gotta be better than your coffee here.” 

“Is that …? Oh, I think you’re my new favorite,” Emma gushed, hands already stretched out to take two cups. Regina was going to need this. 

Loco smirked. “I don’t think Regina would appreciate that very much,” he mumbled. 

“You know about that, huh?” Emma closed her eyes as she took the first sip. 

“Rosa mentioned it,” he admitted. “I’m happy for Regina. And you … if you’re good to her.” 

Emma cocked her head, wondering if she was in for a big brother speech now. “I’m not planning on hurting her,” she said. “I care about her, Loco.” 

He nodded. “Where is she anyway?” 

“On the roof,” Emma replied soberly. “I was just on my way there.” She held up the second cup she had taken. 

“Bad case?” 

Emma nodded. “So, are you just here to bring us the gift of the gods?” 

Loco shook his head. “I’m going to hang around the hospital the rest of the day,” he explained. “I would have started right away this morning but I had some things to do for Henry Sr. first.” 

“Regina’s father? You work for him?” 

James nodded. “Here and there … odd jobs.” 

“Are you his bodyguard or something?” 

Loco laughed. “Nah, he has Rico and the guys for that. I erm … I actually work mostly for his children’s fund. Spent the morning picking up a truckload of toys for a couple of group homes and delivering them, you know.” He shrugged. “Regina and her dad offered to send me to college after—“ 

“After the shooting?” 

“They told you, huh?” 

“I was curious,” Emma shrugged. “Can you blame me?” 

James shook his head. “Yeah, after that, but … college isn’t my thing. I’m the working type, you know. But my sister, Ana, she’s going to go to college, she’s smart. A lot smarter than me. And until then I’ll work and save the money for her college tuition.” 

“You’re a good guy, Loco.” 

“Nah, I’m just trying to make up for my mistakes.” 

“Isn’t that what good guys do?” Emma had a thought. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure.” 

“I don’t mean to pry but … what does Regina’s father really do?” she asked in a whisper. “I mean, all that security, all those bodyguards …” 

“He makes orange juice,” Loco replied, confusion evident in his tone. “Lots of it.” 

“Yeah, I know that,” Emma said. “But what does he _really_ do? Is he a mobster or what?” 

Loco looked taken aback. “No!” he almost shouted. “He’s never done anything illegal, that was all—“ He stopped abruptly. “If you want to know about Henry Mills, I suggest you ask him. Or Regina. All I can say is that he’s a very good man.” 

“I don’t doubt that,” Emma retorted quickly, and it was the truth. “I was just … I don’t know …” 

“Princess, you need to let _her_ tell you what she wants to tell you in her own time,” Loco whispered. “Don’t go around asking other people about things, okay? You’ve only known her for like a month, so don’t go expecting all her secrets. That’s not who she is. Just trust me when I say that all the bodyguards and security are there for a reason, and it’s not because Mr. Mills is some kind of cartel guy.” 

Emma sighed, properly chastised. She knew he was right, especially since it hadn't even been close to a month yet. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “It’s just ... with that whole stalker thing, I feel like so much of me is out in the open, and I thought … I don’t know what I thought ...” 

“Yeah, I get that ... I'm just telling you to let it go, be patient,” Loco reassured her. “But there are more important things now … Like you taking this coffee and making sure Regina is all right.” 

“Yes, Sir.” Emma saluted playfully, before taking a coffee and heading for the elevator. 

**o—o—o**

“Let’s send him to the OR,” H.G. announced to Myka and the nurses. “He’s as stable as we’re going to get him.” 

“OR 5 is ready and waiting,” the younger of the two nurses replied as she got off the phone. 

“Good.” H.G. stepped back from the patient and stretched her back. “Let’s hope he has a full recovery.” 

“I guess I’m going to let the cops know that they can go back to work now,” Myka commented with a small motion of her head toward the hallway where several cope were lingering and watching. 

H.G. groaned. “They shouldn’t even have been allowed back here,” she muttered under her breath. “Why are they not in the waiting room like everybody else?” 

“Hospital policy, I believe,” the second, slightly older nurse answered. “Since they were in a shoot-out with the cops, you know, and the cops demanded access.” She shrugged and went back to covering the patient with surgical cloth. 

Myka snorted. “Probably to make sure he doesn’t jump up from this table and run off.” She paused and gave H.G. a curious look. “Shouldn’t they be in front of Trauma 1 then?” 

H.G. looked back at Myka. “His friend probably didn’t make it,” she said softly. “He was a lot worse off than Mr. Halabi here.” 

“Damn.” 

They both pulled off their masks and bloody gloves and tossed them before walking out of the trauma suite, planning on walking right past the cops. The same cop from before stopped them with a hand on H.G.’s arm. Helena looked at the hand on her arm, then at the cop and something in her gaze must have been warning enough for him to let go of her and hold up his hand in the classic sign of non-aggression. 

“Can we talk to the guy now?” he asked. “We need to ask him some questions, now that his friend bit it.” 

Myka closed her eyes at the callous confirmation of what she and Helena had assumed, but it was H.G. who answered him. “This young man is going to the OR now where a lot of people are going to try and save him. You might be able to talk to him tomorrow,” she explained. “If he woke up, that is.” 

“I thought it was your job to patch the guy up,” another cop interjected. “Why does he need t—“ 

“Our job is it to stabilize patients enough so they can actually make it to an OR alive,” Myka interrupted him quickly when she saw the glint in H.G.’s eyes. “The real work begins now.” 

“And to your information,” H.G. added, ignoring Myka’s calming touch at the small of her back, “one of your bullets hit his head, so yes, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll wake up. Or be able to answer any questions you might have, Officer.” 

“Did he at least give you a name?” a third officer asked, sounding like he was a more level-headed guy. “Anything to go on?” 

The door to the trauma suite opened behind them with the nurses pushing the trauma table toward the elevator bank. Myka stepped back into the suite and grabbed the ID, which she handed to the officer. “He didn’t wake up,” she explained, “but he had this driver’s license on him.” 

Before Myka could say anything else, H.G. jumped in. “We need to be on our way, now,” she said as politely as she could. “And you can’t stay here, so please.” She pointed in the direction of the nurses’ station. “This area is off-limits.” 

The nasty cop looked like he wanted to protest, on principle probably, but his fellow officers simply pulled him along, one even giving Myka a friendly look, before ducking away from H.G., looking a little intimidated. 

“You gave that cop your famous death stare, didn’t you?” Myka asked her wife with a grin. 

Helena laughed. “Not even close,” she denied. “Okay, maybe a little. That man was really getting on my nerves.” 

“Forget him,” Myka told her. “I’m going to go see if I can get an update on our building collapse survivors from this morning. Are you going to find Emma and Regina?” 

H.G. shook her head. “Her patient died,” she said. “Regina will need her space, so—” 

“She’ll be on the roof,” Myka finished. “Why don’t we go talk to Pete and then make use of the quiet time? It couldn’t hurt if you tried to catch up on some sleep after last night.” 

H.G. looked reluctant but one pleading look from her wife changed her mind. “Ten minutes won’t hurt, I guess.” 

Pete called them over as soon as he caught sight of them. “Look what Loco brought by,” he grinned broadly, holding up his coffee. “There’s some for you, too,” he told them, “although you might have to nuke them first.” 

Myka forgot all about asking about their cases as she pulled Helena by the hand toward their break room, the lure of coffee — real, good coffee — too strong to ignore. 

H.G. rolled her eyes and shared a look with Pete but followed willingly. 

**o—o—o**

Emma had expected to find Regina in one of the deck chairs on the roof, maybe finding solace in the ocean view, but when she stepped out onto the roof, there was nobody there. She walked around, clumsily balancing the two coffees in one hand, shielding her eyes with the other until she heard a dry chuckle. “Looking for someone, Doctor Swan?” 

Emma looked ahead and down to where Regina was sitting on the ground, back against the wall, her whole body in the little bit of shadow the wall provided. She smiled, stepping into the shadow so she could see better. “Only if you don’t mind my company,” she replied honestly, ready to just hand over the coffee and leave if that was what Regina needed. “I come bearing coffee, but I can just leave you be …” 

Regina held one hand out, almost imperiously, and Emma handed her the cup with a grin. Regina immediately took a drink, groaning at the taste, even though Emma knew the coffee was only lukewarm by now. “Is Ruby trying to win you over again?” Regina asked after a moment of post-coffee-intake bliss. 

Emma sat down next to Regina, taking the barb as an invitation. “Not her, this time.” 

“Oh?” Regina canted her head to look at her through dark lashes. “ _Another_ suitor?” 

Emma laughed lightly. “Well, I did just tell him that he’s my new favorite …” 

Regina just kept looking at her, eyebrows saying everything she wanted to express. 

Emma relented quickly. “Loco says hello.” 

“You could do worse than him,” Regina commented with a small, teasing smile. 

“Don’t I know it,” Emma muttered. “One of the much worse options is running around out there somewhere.” 

“Have you given any thoughts as to where you want to stay tonight?” Regina played with the lid of her cup. 

“You mean if we make it out of here at some point?” Emma snorted. “It’s not looking likely, the way this day is going.” 

“Yes, if we get out of here … There are several options,” Regina reminded her. 

“Regina,” Emma said the name on a long exhale that had Regina tensing up in a heartbeat. “I think I need to go—“ 

“No.” Regina’s voice was hard, not even letting Emma finish what she was trying to say. “That’s not one of the options, Emma. You’re not going back to your apartment.” 

“Listen to me,” Emma urged. “We haven’t seen or heard from Jo— _him_ since last night when you thought you saw him in front of the diner …” 

“Oh, I saw him all right …” Regina growled. “And the fact that nobody’s seen him today _yet_ doesn’t mean a thing.” 

“I need to go home,” Emma insisted. “Why is that so hard to accept? Listen, all I’m saying is that—” 

“If you don’t want to stay with me, you certainly don’t have to,” Regina murmured, interrupting again. She didn’t want to bother Emma with her presence if that was the problem, and maybe they _had_ been thrown together too closely too quickly. No wonder Emma needed the space — hell, _she_ could probably use the space. Or she would under normal circumstances. 

Nothing about being with Emma was normal, however, Regina registered with some dismay. She wasn’t bored by Emma or annoyed after spending so much time with her, wasn’t praying for some alone time like she would have with any other person she had dated in the last few years. And that thought was even scarier than realizing that her attraction to Emma might be running deeper than a few good nights, because if she got used to having Emma present, if she enjoyed having Emma near her at all times, then what would happen if Emma left? 

“It’s not …. Regina, that’s so not the point,” Emma spluttered. “It’s just that … I mean, I know we only got together, but that’s … I just feel … I don’t know, but there’s a good reason why I want to go home tonight,” Emma rambled. “Why can’t you even listen?” 

Regina rolled her eyes. “I do listen, and what I’m hearing is that you want to go somewhere that’s unsafe out of some need, some misguided sense of … I don’t even know what,” she huffed. “Apparently, that’s still a better option than staying somewhere safe, with me or without me.” 

Regina stood with a fluent grace Emma envied and started to walk away. Emma scrambled to her feet as well. “Regina, wait!” she called out as she followed. “You have to know that’s not what this is about! What are you running away from?” _Again._

“I’m not running away, Doctor Swan,” Regina said over her shoulder. “I’m merely going back to work.” She pushed the elevator button and stepped inside when it arrived almost instantly. _How had things unraveled so fast?_ She wasn’t even sure she knew what was going on, she only knew that one second they were bantering and the next they were fighting. _What’s going on with me? Get your act together, Regina!_ When the doors began to close, she gave Emma a nod and what she hoped was a small, conciliatory smile. “Thanks for the coffee.” 

Emma stuck out her arm and stopped the door from closing. “Oh, hell no,” she said. “We’re not doing this again.” She stopped inside the doorway so the elevator couldn’t move. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Ending another misunderstanding,” Emma replied simply. “I have no idea why you’re mad at me or sad or whatever because what I _said_ and _wanted_ was nothing like what apparently made it through your thick skull.” 

“How dare you—” Regina snarled. 

“I dare because I don’t want this to fester,” Emma replied softly. “I dare because all I was trying to say was that I need to go back to my apartment to take a look around.” She took a step closer to Regina, and another when Regina didn’t retreat, the doors gliding close behind her. “I need to see for myself whether or not he was in there, to see if it’s still a safe space. I need to know I have a place to come back to when this is all over.” 

Regina took a breath as if trying to say something, but Emma held up a hand to stop her. The elevator started to move. “I wasn’t thinking of going alone,” she continued. “And I wasn’t thinking of _staying_ there, especially not if there’s a sign that he’s been in there.” She shrugged, arms outstretched. “I just need to know.” 

Regina closed her eyes, uncomfortably aware that she had let her temper and her own issues cloud her judgment again. _Why was Emma pushing her buttons so easily?_ She rubbed her forehead, a few deep breaths bringing her some much needed perspective. “Okay, I can see the need to go to your apartment,” she grudgingly accepted. 

“Thank God,” Emma breathed. “I really need a change of clothes, you know. Maybe pack a bag …” 

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Regina said slowly, stalking closer to Emma. “ _If_ we get out of here at some point tonight, we’re going to your apartment.” Another step. “And we’re taking Helena and Myka. And then you pack a nice big bag and we’re going somewhere safe … or you’re going somewhere safe and I go somewhere safe … separately, if that works better for you.” 

Emma removed the remaining distance between them. “That sounds like a plan,” she agreed. “But for your information …” She leaned in closer. “You’re stuck with me.” 

“What—?” 

The rest was swallowed by Emma’s lips, hot and insistent, confirming her words like nothing else could. All Regina could do was hang on, kiss back, and hope that the elevator didn’t stop in front of a crowd. 

**o—o—o**

It was a little after 10pm by the time the team got another chance to breathe or even think about going somewhere that wasn’t a trauma suite. The short break around lunchtime was the only break they’d had, with patients coming in fast and furious. 

Emma collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a drawn-out groan that had Regina chuckle wearily. “Tired, dear?” 

Emma just groaned again. 

“What a manic day,” Myka complained as she walked into the room with H.G. in tow. She marched straight to the sofa, pushed off Emma’s legs, and plopped down next to her. Emma didn’t even react beyond a grunt. 

H.G. and Regina shared a glance which was interrupted by a hearty yawn from Helena. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up. “We still got some of the coffee left that Loco brought?” 

“No idea,” Regina replied as she sank down at the desk and rested her head in her hands. “That was officially a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” 

Myka snickered from the sofa. “Have you been reading Henry’s books again?” 

“It’s been one of his favorites ever since his Auntie Helena gave it to him four years ago,” Regina replied with a smile. “Do you have any idea how often I’ve read it?” 

“I loved the book when I was a kid,” Emma piped up without opening her eyes. “It was …” She searched for a word to use that didn’t reveal too much. _Helpful, a bright spot in an otherwise dark foster family, her only possession through group homes four, five, and six until some boy stole it and burned it in the backyard because I refused to play doctor with him?_ “Good,” she finally finished. “Henry has good taste.” 

The long pause had Regina give Emma a speculative look, but she didn’t comment. Everybody had a right to their own story, their secrets, and when to reveal them. Or if to share them at all. 

“Eureka!” Helena crowed from the fridge, oblivious to the conversation going on behind her. “There’s one left.” 

Helena nuked the coffee, which they then all shared, letting the cup go around like a joint. Once it was empty, Myka tossed it with a mournful sigh. “I guess it’s time to call it a night.” 

“Yeah, right,” Regina snorted. “I still have these charts to fill out. With the non-stop traumas today, I didn’t have a spare second to do that.” 

“That reminds me,” H.G. spoke up. “Yusuf Halabi actually woke up in ICU and I paid him a short visit to talk to him while you were working on the burn victim.” 

“And?” Myka asked. 

“His real name is Saeed Shamoun and the other man in the car was his older brother Khaled,” H.G. explained with a sad smile. “He had just picked Saeed up at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale and they were on their way to Khaled’s apartment. Saeed lives at home with his parents in a small town close to Beirut, and he’s just here for a two-week vacation to see his brother and a cousin who lives here, too. Oh, and he’s 17 years old.” 

“Oh, no,” Myka breathed. 

“Yeah.” Helena sat on an empty chair. “He said he had no idea what was going on or why his brother suddenly pulled a gun from the glove compartment when he noticed the patrol car. He’s confused as hell. I have no idea what the cops expect him to tell them …” 

“They’re not going to believe him,” Emma stated softly. “In a situation like that, they’re just going to assume the worst, especially if that dickhead from earlier has anything to say about it. He’s going to have to justify killing that kid somehow.” 

“Well, they’ll have to find an interpreter first,” Helena pointed out, “and I told the ICU charge nurse to stall them as long as possible.” 

“Wait,” Emma sat up. “If the cops need an interpreter, how did you communicate with him?” 

Myka laughed gently. “Helena is pretty good at Arabic.” 

H.G. looked uncomfortable at the praise, but nodded. “Although in this case, he’s also fluent in French. Has a French passport as well as his Lebanese one.” 

“What about that driver’s license we found?” Myka asked. 

“His brother gave him that as soon as they got to the car, that’s all he knew,” H.G. said. “Or was willing to say.” 

“Poor guy,” Emma muttered. “I wonder what his brother was doing, though. I mean what was he thinking? With his younger brother in the car?” 

“We’ll probably never know,” Regina remarked quietly, “seeing as we couldn’t save his brother, who was probably the only one who could answer that.” 

“I agree with Regina’s assessment,” Myka added. “This was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” 

“And it’s not over yet,” Regina sighed, pulling over the first of the charts. 

Emma looked at her watch, then at Regina. “Listen, I know we had a deal,” she began, getting up and walking toward the desk, “but why don’t I go to my apartment now to check it out and pack a bag, then come back here? Leave you to your charts, and I’ll be back before you know it.” 

“You want to go to your apartment?” Myka asked, eyebrow raised to the hairline, disapproval clear in her voice. 

Emma shrugged. “I at least need a few changes of clothes,” she explained patiently under Regina’s gaze. “And I need to know if he’s been there.” 

“Are you sure—?” 

“That’s perfectly understandable,” H.G. interrupted Myka. 

Emma almost sighed in relief. “Thank you! You’re the first person who agrees with me.” 

H.G. met Regina’s eyes, and had no problem reading the look in them. She nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yes, I get your point,” she turned back to Emma, “but that doesn’t mean you should go alone.” 

Emma rolled her eyes and raised her arms in surrender. “For your information: that silent communication thing you two do,” she pointed between Regina and Helena, “can be really annoying.” 

“Welcome to my world,” Myka snorted. “But I actually agree with them, Emma. You can’t go alone.” 

“I’ll go with you,” H.G. offered. “Maybe we could pick up a late-night snack on the way back.” She pointed at the stack of charts on the desk. “It looks like it could be a long night.” 

“God, I’d kill for some actual food,” Regina moaned. Their only food so far had been a couple of energy bars from the vending machine in the lobby. “You could stop by Mama Dolores and bring something back.” 

“Sure … _Croquetas_?” 

Pete came in with yet more charts under his arm. “Did somebody mention food?” he asked, hungry as always. “Loco recommended a new place in Little Havana that opened last week.” 

“Do you and James ever talk about anything else?” Myka laughed. 

“What else is there?” 

“Did Loco go home?” Regina asked. 

“Yeah, he had to,” Pete confirmed. “Ana had a concert at her school tonight, and he had to be there.” 

“Oh yes, I remember,” Regina replied. “She mentioned that a few weeks ago.” 

“So, food?” Pete came back to the important point. 

Emma was relatively sure her presence in the conversation had become obsolete, but she really didn’t mind all that much. She’d be happy for now to go with the flow, tired as she was, and focus on what she needed from her place. 

**o—o—o**

Killian Jones was getting impatient. It was close to 11pm and there still was no sign of Emma. He watched the apartment from his car, which was parked just far enough away from her building that he felt safe, but still had a great view. 

He had spent the day in and around the trauma center, learning everything he could, and he was looking forward to going through all his notes and fine-tuning the details of his plan. He knew what he was going to do, knew who he was going to approach for help, but he still wasn’t sure if the next day was too soon to put things in motion. Maybe a first approach, to see how it went … But he had time and he needed to be flexible with this, had to keep a lid on his impatience. 

He yawned as his weariness caught up to him. He should probably get a good night’s sleep before he went and got his Emma back, and if _she_ wasn’t going to use her bed, then maybe he should. After all, it had been wonderful the night before, and definitely not just the short nap he had taken. 

He was just about to get out of his car, when a dark SUV pulled up and stopped in Emma’s parking spot. He straightened in his seat and grabbed his new pair of binoculars. Emma got out of the car, followed by a tall brunette he had seen with Emma before. 

One of the other doctors from the hospital, he realized, but not Regina Mills. What was going on? He wished he had bugged Emma’s apartment, but it didn’t seem necessary before. He hit the steering wheel in anger and swore to rectify that mistake as soon as possible. 

For now, all he could do was watch and wait. 

**o—o—o**

“So is your time in Afghanistan the reason Regina thinks you’d be a great bodyguard for me? Weren’t you there as a doctor?” 

H.G. smiled, although Emma couldn’t seen it because she’d been made to walk behind Helena. “I was, at least the second time, the one I just got back from,” she confirmed. “At least officially, but I was also doing some … other things.” 

“Like what?” 

“Does SAS mean anything to you?” 

“The Scandinavian airline?” 

H.G. could tell Emma was teasing. “Yeah, I was a really mean stewardess before I became a surgeon.” 

“So you were special forces,” Emma concluded. “I thought they didn’t allow women?” 

“You’re pretty well informed, I’m impressed.” Helena turned to give Emma a look. 

“It was in the news recently, I think,” Emma shrugged. “I read about international news.” 

“Well, that makes you better informed than about 95% of Americans.” 

Emma snorted. It was probably true. “So you were in special forces but not really, or what? How does that even work?” 

“It’s a long story.” 

“Everything with you guys is a long story,” Emma groused. “Does everyone on this team have a long list of secrets?” 

H.G. thought for a moment. “Myka doesn’t, and I think Pete’s a pretty open book, at least as far as I know, which is the point of secrets, is it not?” She turned back to Emma. “You, however, Doctor Swan have a few of your own, I bet, and it’s not just this stalker. So don’t complain about other people’s secrets, okay?” 

They were slowly walking up the stairs to Emma’s second-floor apartment. At the top of the stairs, H.G. waited until Emma motioned to the right with a slight eye-roll. H.G. moved around the corner like a panther. “I went to Afghanistan as a medic straight out of school,” she continued softly. “I needed to get away from … everything for a while. When I was there, I got involved in an SAS mission, although I didn’t know it at the time, and quite inadvertently, too. Their commander took me under his wings, and taught me a few things, got me into Krav Maga … stuff like that. I kept up the training while I was attending med school.” 

They stopped at the door to Emma’s apartment, and H.G. held her hand out for the keys. “I can open my own door just fine, you know,” Emma hissed but handed her the keys nonetheless. 

“Allow me.” H.G. turned the key silently and grabbed the door knob. “Please wait here while I check first.” 

Emma nodded with a sigh and watched as Helena opened the door and crept inside. A minute later, she opened the door again and motioned for Emma to come in. “Nobody’s here,” H.G. said. “But I can’t tell if he _was_ here at some point.” 

Emma walked into her apartment, feeling like her senses were stretching out into every corner. When she walked into her bedroom, she stopped. Something felt funny. She looked around, but couldn’t see anything out of place at first glance, but it had been a couple of days, so she wasn’t entirely sure. Did she leave the bed like that? The thought of her stalker lying in her bed doing God knows what had her nauseous in seconds. 

She shook it off and turned to H.G. “It’s hard to tell,” she whispered. “It feels funny, but I can’t really _see_ anything.” 

“Trust your senses,” H.G. recommended. “What do they tell you?” 

“I’m not sure,” Emma admitted. “I’ll just go pack a bag.” She pulled a leather duffel from the closet and started filling it with an assortment of t-shirts, shirts, khakis, and shorts. After a moment’s thought, she also packed a bikini and a one-piece, just in case they stayed on the boat again. Maybe she should also pack something nice for Regina to find under her clothes … 

She went to her underwear drawer and opened it. After one look inside, her hand stopped in mid-air. She only owned one piece of fine, lacy lingerie, and it was gone. “He was here,” she announced. “And he took a souvenir.” 

Helena was by her side in an instant. “What?” 

“He went through my underwear,” Emma explained, voice filled with disgust. “I can’t ever wear any of this again.” She shoved the drawer close with so much force that the whole dresser rocked back against the wall. She felt violated, even if he hadn’t touched her directly. Bile rose in her throat when she started to imagine what he might be doing with her underwear. 

“Stop!” H.G. ordered, seeing the look on Emma’s face. “Stop thinking about him or what he might be doing or it’ll only drive you crazy.” She pulled Emma out of the bedroom, then went back to grab the bag. She turned off the light and closed the door. “You can buy new underwear.” 

Emma sank into a chair at her breakfast bar. “I was actually hoping this was all a bad dream, you know,” she stated softly. “When he didn’t show up today. He was always _visible_ in Seattle. It was scary, but at least I _knew_ he was there. Here …” 

“It’s part of his game,” Helena replied gently, a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “He’s learned from Seattle where visibility meant getting arrested and fired from his job. He’s going to be more stealthy here, Emma, but not for long. He already made a huge mistake by talking to Ruby, so I’m betting he’s not the most patient of men. My bet is that he’s going to show his hand very soon, and you have all of us on your side when he does.” She paused. “Do you want to call the police?” 

“And tell them what?” Emma snorted. “I think someone broke into my apartment and took a pair of lacy panties?” She shook her head. “Nah, let’s just get out of here and grab something to eat for you guys.” 

“What about you?” 

“I lost my appetite.” 

They left the apartment, Emma with her bag over one shoulder. She closed the door behind her and gave it a last look. There was a finality to it that told her she might not be coming back a while. “Let’s go,” she rasped. “You can tell me more of your long story in the car.” 

“Okay, but let me make a phone call first,” Helena said, already pulling up a number on her phone. “Loco? Helena here.” 

“Hey, Xena,” James greeted her. “Everything okay?” 

“We’re at Emma’s apartment,” H.G. explained. “And we think the creep was here. We’re leaving now and Emma won’t be coming back.” 

“Okay, what do you need me to do?” 

“Could you call Rico and have him send over one of the guys to keep an eye on the place?” she asked. “Maybe he’s stupid enough to come back.” 

“No problem.” 

**o—o—o**

Killian Jones watched as Emma left the apartment building, duffel bag on her shoulder, followed by the brunette who was apparently talking on her phone. So Emma was leaving for longer than just the night, which meant that they were trying to keep Emma away from him. 

He thought about going into Emma’s apartment, but then his need to know where Emma went was bigger. He could always come back here later. 

He started his car and followed the dark SUV through the streets of Coconut Grove. 

**o—o—o**

Later that night, Emma lay curled into Regina on the small bed in one of the on-call rooms at the hospital. “I really liked the apartment,” Emma whispered sadly. “I was happy I found such a nice place at such short notice, and now I don’t think I could go back there.” 

Regina felt rage burning through her system, making her wish she had the power to incinerate that man on the spot. She swallowed it down, knowing it wouldn’t help Emma now. “We can fumigate your apartment once this is over,” she offered. “Or we can find a new one for you.” She bit her tongue before she said something stupid like _You could always stay with me_. That wasn’t her, and she was sure it wasn’t Emma either, and yet … the thought didn’t drive her completely crazy. “We’ll figure something out.” 

“Together?” 

“Together.” 


	12. Episode 6, Part 3: Nighttime Interludes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Not my characters. I'm just taking them off the shelf for a spin, and I promise to bring them back (mostly) unharmed (and possibly a lot happier).
> 
> A/N: This is still not the end of the episode, but I thought I'd post this update anyway because it's a bit of an interlude that takes place the night before things are going down in the episode finale. To me it made more sense to stop here and post this as an extra update because the rhythm is a little different, and there's a bit of a different feel to it. Might just be me though. *shrug*
> 
> A/N 2: Oh yeah, this is M-rated. ;-)

Emma opened her eyes to total darkness, indicating that it was the middle of the night. She had no idea what had woken her up, but as soon as her heart rate had gotten back to normal after the sudden awakening, the restless feeling was back. She had gone to sleep already feeling uneasy, had in fact spent the past few days being on edge, going a little more crazy with every hour. 

She turned her head although she couldn’t see Regina in the dark, although she slept only a hair's breadth away. She was so close that Emma could feel her soft, even exhales against her shoulder, could hear the rhythm of her breathing, but she couldn’t see her. 

Emma didn’t like the dark all that much — one of her foster moms had made sure of that by using the closet as a prolonged time-out space whenever she had done something wrong — but out here there were no city lights to brighten the night. She carefully moved her arm to the bedside table, feeling for her phone. 

The screen lit up, bathing the cabin in an artificial blue glow that helped her breathe easier. It was a little after 4am, too early to be up, but she knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn’t get back to sleep anytime soon. She slowly extricated herself from Regina but not before enjoying the sight of her peaceful face for a moment. Even in the artificial, hard light of Emma’s phone, Regina’s face looked serene and beautiful. 

Emma crept to the edge of the bed, then stood, keeping her phone’s screen at a more muted light, just bright enough to not walk into anything. When she had found her footing next to the bed and began looking around for something to wear, Regina made a snuffling noise in her sleep and moved her hand over the space where Emma had rested until a second ago, but didn’t wake up. 

Emma smiled at the gesture — which to her revealed a lot about Regina’s feelings — before she tiptoed out of the bedroom, through the front cabin and up the ladder onto the deck where she finally took a deep, deep breath and exhaled slowly, enjoying the fresh ocean breeze out here in the middle of nowhere. 

It had been almost a week since anybody had seen or heard from her stalker, and with every hour that passed Emma got more and more nervous and on edge. Work had kept her mind off things as had her friends, and especially Regina, but as their off-rotation got closer, Emma’s mind had become preoccupied with Killian Jones again. She _knew_ she was falling into his trap, she _knew_ this was exactly what he wanted, but she still couldn’t help herself. 

By Thursday morning, she had been a nervous wreck, snapping at everyone — including a rather snarky, snippy run-in with Nurse Blanchard — then beating herself up over it, so when their off-rotation started on Friday, Regina had taken a reluctant Emma out on her boat, and they hadn’t returned to dry land since then. Regina had kept her busy, teaching her how to run the boat, taking her snorkeling and on a few short dives, just to show her the basics, and by making love to her for hours on end. When Regina had to work on her paper for the conference in New York the following weekend, Emma had slept or snorkeled on her own, trying to spot the different fish Regina had pointed out to her before. It had been one of the best weekends Emma had ever had, so there was no reason at all why she should be up at this time of night except … 

Today they’d have to go back to work. Back to where she knew he was lurking somewhere, watching, waiting, trying to drive her crazy. 

**o—o—o**

Killian wanted to begin his preparations for the day early. Way, _way_ early. Today was the day he finally went for his Emma — everything was in place, everything was ready. 

_He_ was ready. 

He had studied the hospital inside and out — knew it as well as he could by now apart from a few corners here and there — and he had finally put his plan in motion two days ago when he knew Emma and her team weren’t working. 

It had been easier than he thought it would be. 

He’d dressed nicely, harmlessly — a teal polo shirt and tan khakis — and had headed to the hospital with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Then it had only been a matter of time until his target had gone for her mid-afternoon coffee run to the courtyard. He had timed it so she had accidentally crashed into him in her haste, giving her his best roguish smile when she apologized hastily. He could still see the scene in his mind’s eye. 

_“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the nurse breathed as she distanced herself._

_“It’s fine,” Killian replied. “It was entirely my fault.” He made sure to smile at her widely when she looked up at his face. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee for the trouble I caused?”_

_It only took a fraction of a second for the nurse to agree. As they walked to the coffee cart, she pointed at the bouquet in his hand. “The flowers are beautiful,” she breathed. “Are you here to visit someone?”_

_“Oh, they’re just something I picked up,” he commented lightly, “ but thank you. I hope the woman they are intended for agrees with you.” He gave her a puppy look and sighed for good measure, hoping she’s take the bait._

_They reached the coffee cart and put in their orders. “You seem sad,” the nurse mentioned, as if on cue. “Is everything all right?”_

_“Yes … well, no … not really,” Killian replied softly before accepting his coffee and handing over some cash._

_“Oh, I’m sorry … would you like to talk about it?”_

_And now he had her exactly where he wanted her, Killian thought. “I really don’t want to burden you with my troubles … You must be so busy, Miss …”_

_“Oh, I’m Nurse Blanchard … Mary Margaret,” the brunette replied, leading them to a bench and sitting down. “I’m a pretty good listener, and sometimes it’s easier to talk to a total stranger.”_

_Killian put the flowers down on the bench and turned toward her. “Well, I … I’m … oh, it’s so hard to talk about this …”_

_Mary Margaret gently put a hand on his forearm, trying to give him comfort. “Just start at the beginning?”_

_“Well, the truth is,” he said, “I’m here to look for my fiancée.”_

_“Your fiancée?”_

_“Yes,” he confirmed. “We … we had a terrible fight a couple of weeks ago,” he continued, making sure to sound just the right amount of distraught, which wasn’t too difficult. He_ was _deeply unhappy that Emma had complained about him. He just had to work on not letting his righteous anger show through as well. “The argument got loud and she … overreacted a bit, and dropped everything to go to Miami.”_

_“That must have been some fight …” Mary Margaret commented, silently hoping for more information. She couldn’t help herself, juicy stories were the best part about her job._

_Killian remained silent as he considered what to say, how to get her on his side with the least possible resistance. And then he remembered how he'd watched this nurse for days, had seen how she seemed unable to take her eyes off pregnant women, or women with small children. Had watched them with longing and a glint of jealousy that told him all he needed to know._

_"It was terrible, and I feel it’s all my fault.”_ It really wasn’t, _Killian thought._ The only one at fault was Emma. _He cleared his throat to bite down the anger and go on. “We’ve had the same fight a few times,” he added softly. “And I know I shouldn’t pressure her to get married and start a family, but all I want is to make her mine forever and see her carry my children …”_

_“Oh,” the nurse sighed. “That sounds so nice … I love children ... but I guess your fiancée disagrees?”_

_Killian nodded dolefully. “She’s always saying she wants to focus on her career first but it’s been years … and then I said something really stupid and gave her an ultimatum ... and she ran … Now all I want is to have her back in my life.” He wasn't even lying about that last part._

_“And she came here?” Mary Margaret asked. “To Miami Trauma?”_

_He nodded. “Yes, she moved here from one day to the next and started as a trauma resident.”_

_Mary Margaret gasped as she put two and two together. “Your fiancée is Emma Swan?” she blurted. “But I thought she and Doctor—“ she stopped herself immediately._

_“You can say it,” Killian growled. “I came by last week but that Doctor Mills didn’t even let me talk to Emma,” he lied. "I think she’s a bad influence … I think she's trying to poison her against me and doing the right thing.”_

_“The right thing?”_

_“Marrying me, having a family,” Killian reminded her, slightly testily. Maybe this woman was more stupid than he thought she was, but that probably only meant she’d help him more readily. “I think … I think this Doctor Mills might be …” He put on a tortured face. “I can’t even say it.”_

_“You don’t have to,” Mary Margaret told him. “I_ knew _it,” she hissed. “They’re all deviants, Mills included. I think you may have to act fast before Emma is corrupted even more ... but the whole team is on off-rotation today.”_

_“Oh,” Killian pretended to be surprised. “Then I’ll have to try again when they’re back on ...”_

_“Monday,” Mary Margaret said. “Come back Monday.” She bit her lip, then nodded to herself. “You could meet me here in the morning, and I could help you get inside and to her. Otherwise their guard dog might not let you get close.”_

_“Guard dog?” Now that was interesting._

_“Yes, the team’s charge nurse, Pete Lattimer. He’s very protective of all the women on his team, and he’s practically Regina Mills’ pet.”_

_“Well, then I think I’m going to take you up on your offer,” KIllian replied with a smile. This had been almost too easy. “Thank you for listening to me.”_

_“You’re welcome.” Mary Margaret stood, smiling warmly, a little bubble of happiness whirling in her chest at the thought of making trouble for Regina Mills, and bringing this lovely man and his fiancée back together. She pulled a piece of paper from her scrubs and jotted down something. “Here’s my number,” she said. “If I’m not out here on Monday when you come by, give me a call or text me.”_

_“Thank you, I will.” Killian stood as well, and picked up the flowers. He called out to Mary Margaret who had turned to go back to work. “Here,” he handed her the bouquet. “These are for you … since I won’t be needing them today, it seems.”_

Killian chuckled as he remembered the wide smile on the nurse’s face as she smelled the flowers. That investment sure had been worth it. He might have to buy another one to keep up the ruse ... 

He checked his watch — it was just after 4am — and slowly rolled out of his rickety hotel bed with a good, long stretch, every fiber of his being ready to go after his Emma. And once he had her, he would never let her out of his sight ever again. 

**o—o—o**

Emma was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the soft scuffle of bare feet behind her. She turned her head, a smile blooming on her face when she saw Regina step out on the deck, looking deliciously rumpled, clad in nothing but a white shirt that was closed by only one button. It was an incredibly sexy look on her, and Emma hummed appreciatively as her body immediately reacted to it, but she didn’t turn around fully. 

Regina walked the few steps up to Emma, enjoying the view of her lover in a pair of boy shorts and a tank top in the moonlight, which made Emma’s hair glow almost silver. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist from behind and pressed herself as closely as she could against the strong back. She could feel Emma’s grip on the rail tighten through the muscles in her shoulders and upper back. Regina pressed a kiss against the bare skin on Emma’s shoulder, then rested her cheek against her upper back with a soft sigh. 

“I’m sorry I woke you,” Emma murmured softly. 

“S’okay,” Regina breathed more than spoke. “Always been a light sleeper.” 

“Occupational hazard?” 

Regina hummed her assent. 

They stood like this for a while — so long in fact that Emma began to wonder if Regina had fallen asleep against her back — until Regina started shifting behind Emma. Her nose brushed the long blonde hair aside to press her lips against the side of Emma’s neck while her hands inched under the hem of Emma’s tank top and came to rest against the soft skin on Emma’s lower abdomen. Then her fingertips began drawing swirls and shapes, movements growing wider and bolder when Emma swallowed hard and let out a breath as her nerve endings were reacting to the touches, sending signals south. 

“What are you doing?” Emma rasped just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the ocean all around them and the slight breeze that riffled their hair and caused a muted _clank clank clank_ somewhere on the yacht. 

Regina chuckled lightly. “Touching you,” she whispered, her lips touching the shell of Emma’s ear. “But maybe I need to be a little more obvious.” Her hands began to move in even wider circles, one inching up toward a breast, the other drifting downward to skim along Emma’s thigh. Her muscles twitched and it wasn’t long before Emma let go of the railing and tried to turn around to reciprocate. 

“Un-unh, stay,” Regina ordered softly. “Enjoy the view.” 

_Enjoy the view?_ Emma snorted but fixed her eyes on the horizon where the lights of a huge cruise ship traveling slowly towards Miami could be seen. She could feel Regina’s fingers ghosting over her skin with no discernible pattern, leaving Emma guessing where the next firmer touch would come. Emma had to close her eyes with a moan when she felt blunt fingernails against her nipples, teasing, scratching lightly, then felt fingers pinching, softly, harder, then soft again, pulling gently, twisting, making her squirm with increasing need. 

“The night is beautiful, it’s just us out here,” Regina murmured, her lips brushing Emma’s ear. “Just you and me, the sea, the stars. Look at all those stars, Emma.” 

“Only stars I see … are the ones behind my eyelids,” Emma gasped as Regina nibbled along her neck and shoulder, alternating soft nips with slightly harder bites. She couldn’t believe how quickly and hotly her body reacted to Regina’s presence, how fast her arousal had spiked under Regina’s ministrations. She felt like she would implode if Regina didn’t continue what she was doing. All other thoughts were completely gone from her mind. “God, you’re driving me crazy.” 

Regina hummed, never stopping her hands or her mouth from traveling across Emma’s skin, marveling in the way goosebumps followed her fingertips everywhere. She could feel Emma getting warmer, could hear her breathing turn shallow. She knew that if her hand wandered between Emma’s thighs, they would encounter wetness. She _knew_ , and yet she decided to test her theory. Slowly her right hand moved south, skimming along Emma’s side, over her hip, dipping low onto her thigh, before finally drifting up again, and easily working its way inside Emma’s shorts. 

“Yes,” Emma hissed when Regina’s fingers skimmed across her labia and towards the source of her wetness. “Please.” 

“Please what?” Regina asked around a smile. She was beginning to regret this position when she realized she couldn’t fully see the expression on Emma’s face or kiss her the way they often did when they were making love, their tongues mirroring the rhythm of their hands on each other, inside each other, enhancing the sensation. 

“Please touch me.” A demand more than a plea. 

“I thought that was what I was doing?” Regina countered mildly, stopping her hands to tease her lover for a moment. The advantage of this position, on the other hand, was that Regina could fully focus on Emma, could gauge her body's reactions, could appreciate the way her breath hitched, her muscles twitched, her voice changed. She could also make sure they remained upright and, even more important, on the boat, in case Emma let go of the low railing ... or her knees buckled. 

Emma growled low in her throat. “Regina,” she warned. “Please don’t tease me,” she begged. 

“What do you want, Emma?” Regina’s fingers played around Emma’s entrance, dipping inside with only the tip of one finger, then withdrawing again. 

Emma’s mind raced. There were _so many things_ she wanted right this moment. Soft and gentle sounded good, as did hard and fast, as long as Regina would only touch her where she needed her right now. “Touch me … just touch me … any way you want, just … fuck me, please.” 

“Hold on tight,” Regina suggested with a smile in her voice, and she felt the muscles in Emma’s arm tighten as the other woman gripped the low railing harder. She ran her fingertips lightly across Emma’s clit before dipping into her once more. “I wonder what would make you come faster … _harder_ ,” she mused aloud, in that deadly morning voice of hers. “This,” another dip of her fingertips just inside Emma’s opening, circling, teasing. “Or this?” she asked, her fingers moving up to just barely touch Emma’s clit. 

Emma bucked against Regina’s hand. “Either is good… or both … both is perfect,” she gasped hoarsely, sounding more aroused than Regina would have expected after such a short time. She wondered if it was the situation that especially excited Emma, being outside, and she was wondering what might happen if they had sex in different places. She might even be tempted to break her _no sex at the hospital_ rule just to see how Emma would react to _that_. 

“Both, hmm?” Regina hummed low in her throat. “I think I can handle that,” she whispered, nipping Emma’s ear with her teeth. “The question is … can you?” And with that she lightly flicked her thumb against Emma’s clit and plunged two fingers as deep into Emma as she could in this position while her other hand suddenly pinched the nipple it had been playing with. Her mouth moved to the juncture of Emma’s neck and shoulder and gently bit down. 

Emma let out a strangled moan as her body was bombarded with sensation. She tried to fight down her spiking arousal, not wanting this to be over almost embarrassingly quickly, but Regina’s touch was relentless it its hunt for Emma’s pleasure. 

And then Regina started talking, voice low and raspy, trickling into Emma’s ear like sweet fire, rolling through her body, heating her from the inside out, driving her body ever faster toward release. She tried to focus on the lights in the distance, on anything but the sensation of Regina touching her everywhere to stop the onset of her orgasm, but that didn't help either. Her body raced toward its inevitable climax, and Emma felt completely out of control and yet completely safe and secure in Regina's arms. With that thought, she came with a strangled cry which might have been her lover's name. 

Regina smiled as she slowed her touch and focused in holding on to Emma, who had let go of the railing to clutch at Regina instead. She sank to her knees, taking Emma down with her, then stretched out on the deck, just barely fitting in the space, whispering sweet nothings into Emma's ear, having to bite her tongue not to reveal too much of what she was feeling right now. 

"Jesus," Emma breathed, turning in Regina's arms and nuzzling into her neck. "That was ... _damn_." 

Emma's breath against her neck and the way her body moved against her, had Regina squirming slightly in arousal, no matter how much she had wanted this to be exclusively for Emma. It took a few seconds for Regina to realize that Emma moved with purpose, gliding against Regina, her lips moving along her neck, nipping and sucking, hard enough to be noticed but staying just shy of leaving a permanent mark. "Emma," she breathed, her hands moving into Emma's hair, whether to hold on or stop her, she didn't know. "This was for you," she added around a moan as Emma's teeth grazed the sensitive spot just below Regina's ear. 

Emma ignored her and moved lower, but Regina could feel her smile against her skin. The one button holding the white shirt closed fell victim to Emma's fingers, then Regina could feel lips and hands against her belly, teasing around her navel for long moments, before a hand slid between her thighs. 

"God, you're soaked," Emma almost groaned at the silky feeling. "I thought this was just for me," she teased, moving up for a searing kiss. 

Regina moaned into Emma's mouth. "The day ... my body stops reacting ... to the way ... you respond to my touch," she panted between kisses, "is the day we're ending this ... thing ..." 

"Thing?" Emma teased, but even in her state Regina could hear the serious undertone. 

"Relationship," Regina conceded and was rewarded with another kiss and fingers that began moving in earnest now -- just not quite where Regina needed them the most. "Emma, please ... I need more ..." 

Emma changed the position of her fingers, helpless against the pleading note in Regina's voice, and began to kiss down the beautiful body, muttering words against the skin that Regina couldn't quite get. 

"Relationship," Emma kissed into Regina's sternum. "I like that," against her belly. "Want you so much," with her nose against Regina's clit, before her mouth became occupied with far more pleasurable things to do. 

Regina groaned loudly into the night as Emma wrapped her lips around her clit and started flicking her tongue against it while two fingers entered her deeply, taking up the perfect rhythm to make her come hard and fast. “Emma _,_ " she moaned. "Emma ... there ... perfect ... so good ..." 

Emma grinned and redoubled her efforts. She wasn't even sure that Regina realized she was actually saying those things out loud but she was determined to make this experience as perfect for Regina as she could, as perfect as Regina deserved it for dealing with her moody shit the past week, and for taking care of her. Her heart fairly burst with feeling at the thought, and for a second or two she wondered if this was what love felt like. 

" _Dios_ , Emma," Regina moaned. "I'm ... Jesus ... so ...." 

"Come for me," Emma coaxed. "Let me hear you ...let me hear what I do to you ..." 

When Regina came, it was with the loudest scream of her name Emma had ever heard Regina utter, the last syllable devolving into a drawn-out moan as Regina's whole body went taut, then collapsed against the deck in complete relaxation. Her hands pulled weakly at Emma's shoulders and Emma got the hint and moved up and into Regina's arms. 

They kissed languidly for long moments, almost sinking into each other. Emma felt gloriously sated and relaxed, and she could feel sleep creeping up on her, now that her brain was blessedly empty. 

Regina noticed and gave Emma a fond smile. "We have some time," she whispered tenderly. "Get some more sleep." 

Emma relaxed even more, giving in to the lassitude that permeated her system, pulling her under. “My shirt looks good on you,” she mumbled before falling asleep in the safety of Regina’s arms. 

Regina reached out with one hand to pull a bath towel from the padded bench and over them both to keep their sweaty bodies from cooling off too much. Then she folded her arms around Emma and watched as the dawn slowly turned the sky into a playing field for pastels until her alarm went off inside the cabin. 


	13. Episode 6, Part 4: Into Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: see Chapter 1
> 
> A/N: Like I said on tumblr, this is the longest freaking episode ever, so it's going to have 5 parts instead of the usual 3. I guess I could have made it 4 parts, but I don't actually like sitting on all these words for too long. ;-)
> 
> A/N 2: Warning for this part: violence and blood (not like that is unusual for this story seeing as it's set in a trauma center ...)

Myka opened her eyes slowly and closed them again when she rubbed her face into the pillow with a groan. She loved her job but the first morning after their days off were always hard. Her hand reached out for her wife, but only encountered empty — although still warm — sheets.

“H’lena?” she mumbled, one hand trying to tame the mass of curls as she sat up and leaned against the headboard. The alarm next to her bed told her it was still early, but not early enough to go back to sleep. _What on earth is Helena doing already up?_

The woman in question walked into the bedroom with two steaming mugs in her hands. “Morning, darling,” she said with a smile. “I thought I’d wake you up with a coffee, but you beat me to it.”

“Thanks,” Myka moaned in pleasure when the aroma of perfectly brewed coffee hit her nostrils. She ignored the scalding heat and took a first sip, then another and another until she felt her synapses firing at a more normal rate. “So good,” she groaned. “Hmmm.”

“Careful, darling,” Helena chuckled. “If you continue to make such sounds for that cup of coffee, I _will_ get jealous.”

“Hmm,” Myka hummed around another, longer sip now that the coffee was about three degrees cooler. “You could always do something about that jealousy and come back to bed to remind me why I married _you_ and not a 50-pound bag of Arabica.”

H.G. sat down beside Myka and leaned closer to kiss her. “I’d love to,” she whispered against her wife’s lips. “Alas, we don’t have enough time for me to really show you why I’m so much more desirable as a partner than that coffee.”

Myka pouted playfully and leaned up to kiss Helena again. “Why are we in a hurry?”

“If we want to make it to Ruby’s before the shift, we should leave soon,” H.G. explained.

“Oh? Did I miss something? Were we planning on meeting Regina and Emma?”

H.G. shook her head. “I’m just in the mood for an English muffin, and I’m merely hoping Regina and Emma will be there as well.”

“They probably stayed on the boat again last night,” Myka reminded her. “They might not make it in time.”

“True … but maybe they will …” Helena took a sip of her own coffee. “Maybe I should give Regina a call.”

“Let them get all the sleep they can,” Myka said softly. “You know what kind of mood Emma was in all week … I doubt their days off were all fun and games.” She paused. “Do you think it’s over?”

“The stalker?” Helena asked. “Not by a long shot.”

“But it’s been so quiet this past week,” Myka pointed out. “Nobody’s seen or heard anything, and Loco has been keeping an eye on the hospital almost at all times.”

“Yeah, I know he’s been quiet,” H.G. admitted. “That’s actually why I think something’s going to happen soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think he’s been trying to lull us … lull _Emma_ into a false sense of security,” H.G. explained. “Maybe he noticed there were people keeping an eye out for him, who knows? But I have a feeling he’s still around, probably close by, making plans. And when he’s ready, he’ll act on them.”

“You think he’s going to do something soon?”

Helena nodded. “And we need to be ready when he does.” She got up and took Myka’s empty mug. “However, first order of business: breakfast.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

**o—o—o**

Emma and Regina were the last to stroll into Ruby’s that morning with James Vega in tow who had picked them up at the marina on Henry Sr.’s orders. “Rosa’s orders, more likely,” Regina had commented with a shake of her head, and Loco had not contradicted her.

“Looks like a family gathering,” Ruby said with a smile as she pointed them toward their regular table, where Pete, Myka, and H.G. were already nursing coffees. “The usual for you guys?”

Emma had no idea she already had a usual breakfast order but nodded nonetheless. She was still feeling pretty relaxed after Regina’s sneak attack that morning and the ensuing nap, but the underlying tension in her body had returned as soon as her higher brain functions had switched back on. She knew that as long as her stalker was out there, she wouldn’t be able to relax fully — at least not for long.

Emma and Regina squeezed in with Pete who made room for them while Vega pulled up a chair and sat at the short end of the table. Ruby dropped off their coffees a few seconds later, moving around Loco with fluid grace as she refilled the others’, and all five of them took a moment to appreciate the brew. Emma sighed happily after taking her fist sip. “Nectar of the gods.”

“Long night?” Pete teased, waggling his eyebrows.

Emma found Regina’s hand under table and squeezed it, giving her a small smile. “Short night,” she replied. “I … it’s been …”

“Emma’s not been sleeping too well since this whole thing started,” Regina jumped in gently, deliberately vague since she wasn’t sure how much Emma wanted the others to know.

“Being out there on the water helped,” Emma added. “But my brain just won’t shut off. This waiting for something to happen … it’s horrible.”

“Yeah,” Vega grunted. “He’s patient, that’s for sure.”

“He’s a bastard, that’s what he is,” Ruby growled as she put down their food. She still wasn’t over the way he had come into her diner and lied to her, almost making her ruin Emma’s and Regina’s budding relationship. “But I haven’t seen him around here since that night. Too bad, really … I would have gotten out my Granny’s shotgun from under counter for him.”

“Nobody’s seen him anywhere,” Vega added. “Not at the hospital, not at Emma’s apartment.”

“He probably figured out that we’re watching those places closely,” H.G. pointed out.

“What if he decided that he had drawn too much attention already?” Myka mused. “Maybe he left?”

“He broke into the house I shared with four other people in Seattle,” Emma replied with a shake of her head. “He isn’t afraid of drawing attention. He’s just trying to drive me crazy.”

“I think he’s planning something,” H.G. added. “And it won’t be long now.”

“Too bad the hospital isn’t too bothered by any of this,” Regina remarked bitterly, squeezing Emma’s hand just a little tighter. “They refused to take more action than putting security on alert and mentioning the issue at the department head meeting.”

“I was wondering why there weren’t any … I don’t know, wanted posters or something on the walls,” Pete said with a soft whistle. “So that’s why you were so mad at them last week after your meeting. I can’t believe it.”

“Why on earth wouldn’t they do something?” Myka sounded horrified.

“Why _would_ they?” Emma’s tone was resigned. It’s not as if anybody had ever cared about her safety, no matter where she went. She was an orphan, not worth the trouble. “All they have to go on is my word that someone’s out there, and that’s it. I could have made everything up.”

“Actually,” Regina jumped in. “Mrs. Frederic called your old boss to confirm our suspicion.”

“She called Webber?” Emma gaped at Regina. “Why would she …?”

“She did,” Regina confirmed. “I was there. They don’t doubt your story or that the stalker is around, but they’re afraid for their image, I guess. Wouldn’t look too good to the patients and their loved ones if the hospital were plastered with photos of his ugly face.”

“Oh yeah, it looks so much better to the public if he kills a doctor on their staff,” H.G. muttered darkly.

“They could sell that as a tragedy to the press … probably,” Myka fumed.

“Well, it would be a nice tear jerker for the next fundraising event,” Pete muttered sarcastically. “And you know the trauma center could always use a few donations.”

“Who the fuck would turn something like that into a fundraising opportunity?” Emma gasped.

“Gold,” H.G, Myka, Pete, and Regina all replied as one.

“Who?”

“Rupert Gold … he’s the CFO,” Regina explained. “And he’s responsible for fundraising too.”

“He’s also not particularly squeamish about what he uses for fundraising purposes ,” Pete added, a look of utter distaste on his face. “Remember that one time he told that story of how we couldn’t save those three kids that fell into that gator-infested stream in the ‘glades? Embellished all those horrific injuries even more during a fundraising lunch at the trauma center, then paraded everyone through the trauma suites to show them why we needed more money. I was waiting for him to pull out a plastic gator and some dolls to demonstrate …”

“He’s a jerk,” Myka added. “But he gets a lot of funds raised.”

Vega shook himself in disgust. “Sounds to me like he needs his priorities straightened out.”

“Definitely,” Regina agreed. “But now you know why this hasn’t gotten the attention it deserved around the hospital.”

“Maybe I should get one of my guys to stalk him for a while, eh?” Vega suggested.

“Loco, you don’t _have_ guys anymore, remember?” Regina smiled at him.

“Oh, I’m sure I could find some for this kind of job,” he grumbled.

“I’m sure,” Regina smiled at him, affection written all over her face. “I’m sure. But for now, how about we make sure the _actual_ stalker doesn’t get anywhere close to Emma, okay?”

“Absolutely,” Vega agreed immediately. “I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I get back from Ana’s school. She asked me to talk to her guidance counselor but that shouldn’t take long. A couple of hours tops.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Emma said.

“Yeah,” everyone else echoed.

**o—o—o**

Emma was quiet while they all changed into their scrubs. Regina tried to catch her eye, but Emma looked anywhere but at her boss and girlfriend. Regina frowned but since there was little she could do, she pushed it away. When she saw Emma fidget with her ID badge and almost strangle herself with her stethoscope before clipping her phone and pager to her pants with jerky movements, however, she became more concerned.

Myka and Helena shot Regina worried glances which she answered with a quick shake of her head. The two nodded and left them alone at the lockers. When Emma made to follow them without another word, Regina had enough. She grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her around the corner into the shower area, where they couldn’t be seen.

“What?” Emma hissed.

Regina immediately took her hand from Emma’s arm. “Hey … talk to me, Doctor Swan,” she urged, the name a gentle reminder that she wasn’t just Emma’s lover. “I’m not the enemy here.”

Emma sighed, looking contrite. “I know, I’m sorry … I’m just tense, I guess …”

“What’s going on, dear?” Regina lowered her voice to a much more intimate timbre. “I thought we took care of the tension earlier.”

“We did … you did,” Emma replied softly. _At least for a while._ She brought one hand up to cup Regina’s face, trying to ease the worry she could see in those expressive eyes. “It’s just that … it’s as if I can _feel_ him … here … somewhere near. I don’t know if it’s my imagination running wild or what, but I swear it’s driving me absolutely fucking crazy. And not the good kind,” she added in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Regina nodded, the worry for her lover never leaving her eyes. “Are you okay to work?”

“What kind of question is that?” Emma barked, looking offended. “Of course I’m ready to work.”

“I know that you’re _ready_ to work,” Regina replied neutrally, trying to find the right balance between lover and boss. “But I need to know that I can trust you to focus on your job no matter what, Doctor Swan.” She tried to remain professional when all she wanted was to take Emma and drag her back to the boat until all of this was resolved. “I can’t risk our patients’ lives—”

Emma dropped her hand, a professional mask slipping onto her face. “I’m absolutely okay to work, Doctor Mills,” she said evenly. “Don’t worry.”

“I _do_ worry,” Regina murmured, wondering if she’d fractured something between them, even if she didn’t really have a choice.

“If all you worry about is my ability to focus on the job, you might as well stop,” Emma snarled, and regretted it the instance the word came out when she saw the way Regina’s face fell even further. “Oh God, sorry … I’m so … please ignore that … I’m s-sorry I’m making this so hard for you.”

Emma looked lost and small, something that Regina hadn’t thought was possible, so she did the only thing she could and pulled her into a hug, holding her tight, driven by a fierce instinct to protect her. “I’m sorry I have to be your boss as well as your … girlfriend,” Regina whispered, happy that Emma couldn’t see her cringing a little at the word. “I know it makes things more complicated.”

“I think complicated is a little bit our thing.” Emma pulled away a little to look at Regina with a small, hopeful grin. “Did you just call yourself my girlfriend?”

“It figures that _that’s_ what you take away from that,” Regina snorted. “But yes, I guess I did. Although,” she added, unable to hide the wince this time, “I’m not overly fond of the term. It sounds … juvenile.”

“I appreciate it all the more for that.” Emma smiled despite her mood as she pulled Regina into her body and kissed her with a fierceness that felt good and right, but was entirely inappropriate for the workplace.

Neither of them minded very much, and they kept kissing for a few precious moments until their pagers reminded them that there were people to save and deaths to avert.

**o—o—o**

“Hey, Claude,” Pete called over his fellow nurse. “Got a second?”

“What’s up, Cookie Monster?” the petite redhead greeted him with a smirk.

Pete’s eyes glazed over for a second at the thought of cookies before he got serious again. “Remember when I told you last week to be on the lookout for that stalker?”

“Sure do,” came Claudia’s instant reply. “Why? Has he been spotted?”

Pete shook his head. “And that’s sorta what has us worried,” he added. “So I figured instead of just having security and a few of us on the alert, we should plaster the walls with his picture as a warning.” He reached under the counter of the nurses’ station and pulled out a stack of print-outs that had Killian’s photo with the words _“Have you seen this man?”_ in Pete’s neat block letters above it. Below was the phone number of hospital security.

“Neat,” Claudia praised his efforts. “When did you make these?”

“Just now,” Pete admitted. The information he had heard at breakfast hadn’t sat well with him at all.

“Did you tell anyone about this bright idea?” Claudia asked. “Like hospital security or admin?”

“Gold has his head up his ass and doesn’t want to alert the patients and their families that there’s a problem,” Pete explained. “The chief was hopping mad last week when she got back from a meeting with them and security.”

“Idiots,” Claudia grumbled. “Does Doctor Mills—“

“The boss lady doesn’t know either,” Pete said swiftly. “I thought I’d do it while they’re busy with cases … they’re trying to save a couple who got hit by a speeding driver. I told the boss I needed to check the trauma supplies … she doesn’t need to be involved in this. I’ll take all the blame.”

“You’re lucky she likes you so much … and the team is lucky they have you to look out for them.” Claudia gave him a smile. “So, I guess you didn’t just ask me over to show me these, right?”

“Right,” he said with what he hoped was an enticing grin.

“Okay, I’ll take half,” Claudia agreed. “I’ll redecorate the public areas, you do everything else?”

**o—o—o**

Killian looked around the hospital courtyard, trying to spot the woman that would help him finally reunite with his angel, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed impatiently, not the least bit ready to wait any longer than he absolutely had to for his reunion with Emma. _What if that nurse had led him on? What if she was too busy to help him?_ He’d have to do it on his own — not that that was a problem for him … that annoyingly simple and perky nurse was only marginally useful anyway.

Just as he was about to make his own way into the trauma center, Nurse Blanchard walked into the courtyard with a disgustingly happy smile on her face. Killian bit back a growl, and waved her over with a smile that barely reached his lips, let alone his eyes.

“Hello, good morning,” she chirped brightly, giving him a wide, happy smile. “Ready to swoop your fiancée off your feet?”

Killian’s smile began to hurt his face but he kept going. “Absolutely,” he replied. Why was she standing here talking to him when he should be inside going after Emma? Didn’t this nurse know that Emma was waiting for him? “Did you tell Emma I was coming?”

“What?” the nurse asked. “No, of course not … You said you wanted it to be a surprise.” And there hadn’t been time, frankly, not even for a quick rumor-spreading session at the water cooler. “I haven’t even seen her since we talked.”

“That’s maybe for the best,” Killian murmured. “Wouldn’t want that Mills woman to stop me.”

“Well,” Nurse Blanchard sad with a small, one-sided shrug. “I can get you into the heart of the trauma center and to their break room … but I can’t really keep Doctor Mills out of your way, I think.”

Killian began to regret this part of his plan. He should have just done it alone — then again, as soon as he was inside, he wouldn’t need her any longer. Not that he ever did. “Let’s get inside and find Emma,” he urged, his thin veneer of patience cracking rapidly.

“Sure.” The nurse shot him a look at his tone, telling him that he had let his true feelings slip at least a little. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he muttered. “Sorry, just nervous, I guess.”

“That’s understandable,” Mary Margaret commented with sympathy, buying his excuse wholeheartedly. “But I think you stand a good chance of winning her back.”

_Oh, I’m counting on it._

**o—o—o**

Mary Margaret Blanchard babbled on excitedly as she led Killian through the hallways of the hospital and into the heart of the trauma center, completely oblivious to the darkening mood of the man following close behind her. She was happy to be doing something good and right, and the fact that Emma’s departure from the team with her fiancé would clear a space for her boyfriend was only an afterthought, albeit a rather strong one.

Killian ground his teeth, his impatience with his helper almost at breaking point. When she asked him to wait in a supply room so she could see what the situation in the trauma center was, he was almost relieved, even if it meant waiting for yet another few minutes.

“Why can’t we just continue on?” he asked nonetheless.

“I need to see if they’re dealing with a trauma right now,” Nurse Blanchard explained softly. “Wouldn’t want you to have to hang around in the middle of the trauma center for everyone to see, now would we? And it would look a little suspicious if a stranger hung out in their locker room without them there.”

“But we’re almost there anyway, aren’t we? Can’t we just go together? Maybe I can surprise Emma in front of one of the trauma rooms.”

“Oh yes, we’re almost there,” Mary Margaret replied eagerly. “The trauma suites are just around the corner, and the team’s break room is just on the other side of the nurses’ station and down a short hallway from here. But like I said you can’t just walk in there …” She wasn’t going to give up her part in this great love story, especially not if she had a front-row seat, and he needed her. _Or at least believed he needed her._

_Oh, you bet I could,_ Killian thought darkly, but he decided to relent. For now at least. “Okay, okay,” he breathed. “I’ll wait here.” Let her check the situation and then he’d go see for himself, no matter what that nurse thought.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she said as she left the supply room and closed the door behind herself.

Killian nodded grimly at the closed door. He supposed one last errand was okay, but then she’d have to be silenced. He just couldn’t take her constant chatter any longer, and now that he knew where to go, her usefulness had completely run its cause.

He looked around the supply room with interest to see if there was anything inside here that he could use. He came prepared — he checked the knife he had at the back of his jeans and the smaller one in the inside pocket of his leather jacket — but if there was anything else he could grab, he’d do it. There was a box with surgical scissors that drew his interest and he grabbed two pairs, pulled them from their plastic sheaths, and put them in his back pockets. Then he took another pair and waited behind the door for that bothersome nurse to return.

**o—o—o**

Mary Margaret Blanchard couldn’t stop smiling as she walked toward the trauma suites to check if the team was still busy saving lives. Her thoughts were on Emma Swan’s fiancé — who she just now realized hadn’t even told her his name — and on reuniting a couple after what _had_ to be a simple misunderstanding. Thwarting Regina Mills was just an added bonus, but maybe she’d learn a lesson and leave the hospital, so they could finally get some _nice_ doctors in … like David, her boyfriend.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t see Pete coming around the corner until she crashed right into him. The stack of paper he had been holding spread all over the hallway.

“Oh, sorry,” Pete said a little distractedly. “Didn’t see you there.”

“Obviously,” Mary Margaret hissed, although it had been just as much her fault. “What’s the hurry anyway? New trauma case?”

“God, I hope not. They’re still working on a couple right now.” Pete kneeled down to pick up the small posters he’d made. “Here,” he handed one to Mary Margaret. “I’m just putting up warning signs about this guy.”

She took the sheet and turned it over, only to almost gasp at the uncanny resemblance to Emma’s fiancé. The man in the photo was clean-shaven, though, so she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. “Who is he?” she asked warily.

“He’s a stalker,” Pete explained quickly. “Admin won’t do anything about him, so I thought I’d alert people around here.”

_A stalker?_ Mary Margaret couldn’t believe it. _So that’s how Regina Mills was going to try and get rid of him._ “How do you know he’s a stalker?”

Pete gave her a funny look. “Well, he’s been after Doctor Swan for a while now,” he said slowly. “Apparently, it started in Seattle … that’s why she came here.” He wondered why she was asking, and even worse why he was taking the time to explain. He was pretty sure Emma wouldn’t like it, and he had much better things to do. “Look, just let me or hospital security know if you see him, okay?” he sighed. “He could be dangerous to Emma … _and_ everybody else here.”

“Sure,” Mary Margaret replied with an insincere smile before she folded the poster and put it in the pocket of her scrubs. _That poor man … being painted as a villain just because he dared to come after Emma Swan. He was her fiancé, not some stalker! Regina Mills was really going too far with this …_

Pete watched as Mary Margaret left exactly the way she had come, hurrying along the hallway. Curious at her behavior, he followed her, getting ever more curious when she stopped at the door to a supply room. Pete stayed behind a corner and saw the other nurse look around for anybody watching her before opening the door and heading inside. Nothing happened for a few moments, then there was a dull sound.

Then everything was quiet again.

_What the hell was she up to?_ With a bad feeling in his gut, Pete headed for the supply room to check it out.

**o—o—o**

James Vega checked his watch for the tenth time in the last five minutes. He couldn’t believe he was stuck in traffic on his way back to the hospital. And all just for some a talk with the guidance counselor for which a 5-minute phone conversation would have been more than enough. He _knew_ that his little sister was doing great, he _knew_ she had a perfect GPA, he _knew_ she had options. He knew all that, and _still_ the guidance counselor had insisted on explaining all of it in detail as if he and Ana didn’t talk about school at home.

When he had tried to explain that none of that was new to him, he had received the typical look, the one he knew so well, the one that said _We know you’re raising your sister on your own, and you look like a gangbanger, so don’t pretend to actually care about Ana’s education_.

He hated that look. He should have ignored Ana’s wishes and sent her to the expensive school Regina’s father had offered to pay for. Maybe they would have been less prejudiced. He sighed. _Probably not._

And now that woman had made him late, much later than he thought he would be, so of course there had to be some major traffic on Brickell on his way back. Regina wouldn’t mind, he knew, and his explanation was good enough to appease Henry Mills Sr., who was extremely interested in his daughter’s safety these days, but knowing that didn’t help one bit with the bad feeling that was growing in his gut like a cancer, slowly taking over.

He spotted a slight break in traffic and pushed the pedal to the metal and jumped the lane with screeching tires, driving like a maniac even at this snail’s pace — jumping lanes whenever even remotely possible — to get to where he felt he needed to be.

**o—o—o**

Regina pulled her gloves and mask off and dropped them in the hazard bin before watching Emma do the same. The patient would make it — although it had been touch and go for a while, and he would need hours of surgery and months of recovery. “Good work, Doctor Swan,” she praised warmly.

“Thanks,” Emma smiled. “Told you I could focus.”

Regina held up her hands in surrender. “You convinced me,” she said, returning the smile. “But I hope you know that I had to make sure.”

“Was that why you kept such a close eye on my handiwork in there today?” Unexpectedly, Regina blushed at Emma’s valid and perfectly innocent question. Emma chuckled. “You were _really_ watching my hands work, weren’t you? Was that _satisfactory_?” she asked, lowering her tone.

“Oh, shut up,” Regina growled, hitting Emma’s arm. “Let’s go see how Myka and Helena are doing.”

Emma kept on chuckling as she leaned close to Regina, making sure that nobody was close enough to overhear them. “I promise I’ll let you watch my hands work in a really satisfying manner tonight. Maybe I should—“

“Emma!” Regina hissed, stopping.

“What?”

“We’re at work!”

“Sadly, yes.” Emma gave up her pretend innocence. “And no time for a quickie in an on-call room …”

Regina rolled her eyes but she secretly enjoyed the banter between them because it showed Emma was considerably more relaxed now than she had been after breakfast. That didn’t mean, however, that she deserved to win this little game. “A quickie?” she lowered her voice to a smokey register. “Oh, Emma … should I _ever_ consent to sex here at work … well, believe me, it won’t be a quickie. I would take my time, be _very_ _thorough_ ,” she caressed the words like a lover, “and you would have to be so, so … _quiet_.”

Emma groaned as her heartbeat picked up at the images Regina’s words and voice evoked.

“Something the matter, Doctor Swan?” The voice dropped even lower.

“Stop,” Emma whimpered, admitting defeat. “Stop, unless you want me to drag you somewhere private and let me have my way with you. At this rate, I’d take a broom closet.”

Regina laughed in delight. “Well, that escalated quickly,” she teased. It also answered the question of how Emma would react to an offer of sex at the hospital.

“All your fault,” Emma grumbled. “You and your voice …”

“I’m sorry,” Regina chortled. “I’ll let you take a few deep breaths while I go check on our other patient.”

“I’m fine,” Emma insisted. “Let’s go.”

**o—o—o**

Killian was pacing the supply room like a caged tiger, getting more and more anxious for Mary Margaret to return. When the door finally opened — slowly, carefully — he barely refrained from pulling her inside by the scruff of her neck.

"And?" he growled, dropping almost all of the nice guy facade.

Mary Margaret looked at him, suspicion growing in her eyes. "I wasn't gone long," she pointed out. "I ran into their charge nurse."

"The guard dog?" _Good to know he was around here somewhere._

"He told me this crazy story," Mary Margaret said with a nervous little nod, one hand moving into the pocket of her scrubs to finger the poster. "He said they were looking for a man ... A s-stalker."

Killian stilled, inches from her, making her take an involuntary step back as she suddenly sensed the danger rolling off of him in waves. All thoughts of this being just one of Regina Mills’ tricks were vanishing rapidly.

"Ye-yes," the nurse stammered, voice shaky, eyes wide. All of a sudden, Pete’s words sounded more real than they did a few minutes before, and the man standing before her looked a lot more like the man on Pete’s poster, scruffy beard or not. _What had she gotten herself into?_ “I-I … told him … that I hadn’t seen anybody …”

“Did you now?” Killian drawled silkily.

Mary Margaret nodded frantically. “Absolutely … I’ve been w-working all day, after all … I didn’t see anybody su-suspicious.” She swallowed hard. “I need to get back to w-work now.”

Killian smiled at her but that only made him look more scary to Mary Margaret’s eyes. She stepped backwards until her back hit the door, unwilling to turn her back on him, but left with no choice if she wanted to open the door and leave.

Killian waited until the last moment before stepping up closely behind the nurse, the pair of scissors in his healthy hand.

"What are y—“ Mary Margaret Blanchard's question was cut short when Killian's other hand swiftly moved up to cover her mouth.

"Shhhh," Killian said quietly, whispering the hissed command almost gently. Then he brutally plunged his makeshift weapon as deeply into her back as it would go, aiming for the small space between the fourth and fifth rib that would allow him to get to the heart. He would have thought about making her suffer a little for all her prattling, if only he had more time, but this way was far more efficient.

Mary Margaret let out a stifled gasp before slumping in his arm and jostling against the door. Killian quickly caught her and dragged her away from the door, pushing the body into a corner of the room, then watching it for a second, thinking about whether or not to take out the pair of scissors sitting so pretty in the blooming patch of dark red which was growing at the rate of the nurse’s slowing heartbeat. He watched her clinically for a moment, waiting for her last breath, irritated that he hadn’t managed to kill her outright. It only took mere seconds, however, for the body to still, and the last, wet breath to leave Mary Margaret Blanchard’s mouth.

“Thank you for your help,” Killian said to the lifeless body in the corner. “I think I can take care of it now.” He turned around to leave and _finally finally finally_ make his way toward his Emma when the door to the supply room suddenly began to inch open and a man’s voice called out, “Everything okay, MM?”

Killian pulled the pair of scissors from Mary Margaret’s back — smiling a little at the squelching sound it made — and waited behind the door for whatever new obstacle between him and Emma made it through.

_The guard dog, probably._

**TBC**


	14. Episode 6, Part 5: Knife's Edge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Not my characters. 
> 
> A/N: Here it is (finally): the final part of episode 6, and with it the end of Season 1. It's been a lovely ride, everyone, and I hope you enjoy finale of the season finale. ;-)

**Episode 6, Part 5: Knife’s Edge**

Myka and Helena had just finished stabilizing the patient on their trauma table when Emma and Regina entered their trauma suite — Regina all business, and Emma smiling, albeit still uncomfortably aroused — to check on their status. 

"She flatlined twice," H.G. said. "But she's stable enough for surgery now. I think she's going to make it." 

"That's good," Regina smiled. "Her husband is headed up to surgery as well. That's one lucky couple." 

"Yeah," Myka breathed as she chucked her mask and gloves and opened the door for the nurses to push the patient through toward the elevators. "I could use some coffee now. How about you?" 

"Always," Emma replied with a grin, happy to have something to divert her brain's attention to. 

Myka gave her a look at the enthusiastic response. "Everything okay with you, Swan?" she asked teasingly, Regina's smirk behind Emma's back giving her a good indication as to what her behavior was about. 

"Yeah, you look a little flushed, Doctor Swan," Helena added. 

"I think she looks like she encountered a very localized heatwave," Myka mused. 

"Well, you know the micro-climate around Miami can be quite ... _invigorating_ ," Regina added with a smirk, enjoying the blush that spread across her lover’s face. 

Myka and H.G. snorted as they watched Regina grin and Emma squirm. 

"Oh, shut up, all of you," Emma finally complained. "Or you won't get the presents I got for you." 

Actually, she herself had almost forgotten about the scrub caps she had picked out and ordered for the team to continue one of the traditions she had liked about Seattle Grace. They had arrived a few days before, on their last day before their off-rotation, and Emma had stuffed them into her locker, just happy that she had them sent to the hospital and not her apartment, which she hadn't really been to in over a week. 

“Oooh, presents!” Myka looked very interested. “What’s the occasion?” 

“I think I forgot,” Emma grumbled. “That localized heatwave must have wiped my brain.” She stuck out her tongue, a thoroughly childish move that she just couldn’t help in that moment. 

“How about we get you a nice cup of coffee to remember?” Myka pleaded with a grin. “I’m sure caffeine will work wonders. I heard there was a study that shows coffee works 100% in these cases of amnesia.” 

Emma gave H.G. a sardonic look. “You don’t get your wife enough presents, Wells,” she laughed. “She’s beginning to look desperate.” 

Regina nodded. “It’s not Helena’s fault,” she said. “You should see Myka around Christmas …” 

H.G. gave her wife a fond smile. “It’s pathetic really,” she said teasingly. “But she just loves presents so much.” She turned puppy dog eyes on Emma. “Won’t you put her out of her misery?” 

“Okay, fine,” Emma sighed, throwing up her arms in surrender. “Let’s go to the break room.” She walked off, leaving her three friends looking bemused. “Oh, and we need to find Pete too.” 

“I can’t believe she actually _fell_ for that,” Myka snorted. 

Regina could only nod dumbly. Helena patted her on the back. “I guess that _localized heatwave_ really did fry some of her higher brain functions,” she commented with a smirk. “What on earth did you do to her?” 

Regina smiled mysteriously. “That’s for me to know …” She followed Emma down the corridor. At the corner she turned around to grin at Myka and H.G. again. “And for you to _never_ find out.” 

Myka and her wife shared a look. “Yeah, right.” 

**o—o—o**

Pete carefully pushed against the door to the supply room, unsure what he’d find. If Mary Margaret was in there for some hot and heavy time with David, he really didn’t want to see that. “You in there, MM?” he asked again. 

He heard movement behind the door but got no reply. Okay, so she apparently didn’t want him to find her in there, which left him with a choice. Go in there and risk being scarred for life and seeing something no amount of brain bleach could erase, or leaving quietly and continue with his posters. 

Pete grimaced and winced, bouncing on the balls of his feet in indecision. But something about Mary Margaret had been off, so maybe he really _should—_

His thoughts were interrupted by his pager going off, and he checked it immediately in sheer reflex, raising an eyebrow when he read the page from his boss. 

_Break room. ASAP. RM_

Well, that at least took the decision out of his hands. He let the door fall closed and took a step back, but not without a gnawing feeling in his gut. He shook it off as well as he could before jogging lightly down the hallway. Around the corner he picked up the remaining posters, then made his way to the break room. 

**o—o—o**

Killian Jones’ shoulders sagged when the door stopped opening and then actually closed, but it wasn’t in relief so much as disappointment. Killing the nurse had awakened something in him, and he had been looking forward to seeing if he could repeat the feeling of power that stabbing her had given him. 

He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times as he found himself hoping that there would be a few more people standing in his way, trying to keep him from getting to Emma. He would be well within his rights, wouldn’t he? If these people were trying to keep him from his fiancée? 

He frowned. Maybe he should have brought a gun instead of a dagger. _Well, too late now_ , he concluded. If he left now to get a gun, someone would surely find the nurse and tighten security around the hospital. Besides, there was something so beautifully _visceral_ about using your own hands and a knife to take someone’s life. So much more _intimate,_ invigorating … almost like sex. He felt himself stir at just the memory, and — turning around for a moment to look at Mary Margaret Blanchard’s body — already knew that this one woman was never going to be enough. 

His eyes fell on a stack of fresh scrubs on one of the shelves and he decided that dressing the part would make things easier for him, now that his little helper was no more. He quickly shed his clothes — barely withstanding the urge to touch himself — and redressed in what seemed to be nurses’ scrubs. He bent down to move the body in the corner around until he could get to her hospital ID, then pulled it from her scrubs, cleaned it off on her legs, and put it on his new disguise. It wouldn’t fool anybody within five yards of him, but from a distance it looked at least like he had a valid ID. 

He made sure his knife was hidden in his pants and under his top before adding a couple of surgical scissors in his pockets. Too bad there weren’t any scalpels, he thought. Then he took a few deep breaths, relishing the coppery scent in the air, and opened the door. 

It was time. 

**o—o—o**

Emma grinned as she opened her locker and got out a small box, which she carried to the desk at the front of the room. She tried to make a big thing out of pulling back the flaps and presenting the scrub caps, but she was too impatient to see her friends’ reactions. She looked up when the door behind her opened and Pete stormed in. “Hey, there you are,” she greeted, happy to be able to go ahead. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “What’s up?” 

Myka and Helena shared a look, but it was Regina who answered him. “Honestly, we’re not quite sure,” she said with a small, albeit confused smile. 

“Oh, come on,” Emma whined. “I told you I have something for you all.” 

“Ooh, presents,” Pete exclaimed, unconsciously repeating Myka’s words, and mirroring her expression. 

H.G. burst out laughing. “You were right, Regina. They _were_ separated at birth.” 

“Glad you finally believe me.” 

Emma cleared her throat. “Sooo,” she began “we had this tradition in Seattle …” She pulled her scrub cap from her pocket and dangled it on a finger. “Where the new doctors would get a scrub cap the others felt fitted them somehow.” 

“They didn’t get all that creative with yours then, did they?” H.G. asked, brow raised as she pointed at the swans on Emma’s cap. 

“Are we to infer that you got us all personalized scrub caps?” Regina added, sounding slightly intrigued. 

“Yep,” Emma declared as she pulled out the first one and shook it out. “Guess who this one is for?” 

**o—o—o**

Killian left the supply room, a confident swagger in his step. Bolstered with the knowledge Nurse Blanchard had given him, he moved through the hallways with sure steps until he came to the heart of the trauma center. He looked around the nurses’ station and watched where people came and went to and from for a few minutes. Then he picked the hallway with the least traffic and started moving again. Soon enough, he realized it was not the one he wanted, so he turned around and picked the next one. When that also turned out to be wrong, he began to regret killing the nurse so early in the game, but it was too late now to do anything about it. 

The next hallway changed his luck. Even from a distance, he could see his angel’s beautiful blonde hair through the windows of what had to be a break room. Emma was standing with the back to him, the others in a half circle around her, but none of them really faced the entrance. 

He thanked his lucky stars and continued down the hallway, never taking his eyes off his target. 

**o—o—o**

_“Guess who this one is for?”_

H.G. smirked and plucked the scrub cap that looked like a misshapen Union Jack from Emma’s hand. “Well, that was rather easy,” she commented as she put it on her head, but there was a pleased grin on her face. “Can’t wait what you picked for Myka.” 

“Yeah, not all of you were as obvious as that,” Emma admitted, “but I did try to find something for all of you.” She plucked the next one from the box and held it up. It was purple and was covered in tiny crowns. “Anyone?” she asked when nobody moved to claim it. “Come _on_.” 

Reluctantly, Regina stepped forward. “I’m assuming it’s mine,” she said, “but where did you get the crowns from?” 

“James called you his queen at breakfast last week,” Emma reminded her. She put the scrub cap on Regina’s head. “Pretty, my queen.” 

“Thank you, my knight,” Regina replied drolly, deciding to indulge Emma for the moment, although her fingers itched to pull the cap from her head no matter how cute it was. “I need to tell Loco to keep his mouth shut.” 

Emma ignored her and pulled out the next cap, a pale blue one with cookie monsters all over it. Pete bounded up to her like a big puppy and hugged her. “This is perfect,” he exclaimed. “Finally somebody who understand my deeper nature.” 

“So I guess we know who the last one is for,” Myka remarked. She had no idea what she’d get as she didn’t know if she had given Emma any clues for her cap. Which is why she was very surprised when Emma pulled the cap from the box and held it up. It was pale blue just like Pete’s but instead of a Sesame Street character, it had books all over it. “How did you …?” 

“Remember the day you mentioned that your parents have a bookstore?” Emma asked with a bright smile. “And that you still spend every minute you can reading?” 

Myka recalled the conversation they had shared on the way down to the cabin. “I’m surprised you remember that …” 

“I guess it’s mostly because I love to read as well,” Emma shrugged it off. “So, how did I do?” she asked everyone. 

“I don’t know what you did, love,” a voice came from the door. “But I’m sure you did wonderfully.” 

Emma whirled around in horror, as did the others. She took a couple of steps back. “You …” 

“Yes, love,” Killian Jones agreed. “I’m sorry it took so long but now I’m here to rescue you!” 

“Rescue me?” Emma asked incredulously. “From what? You—” 

“From _her_ clutches, of course,” he snarled, pointing at Regina. “These people are corrupting you, and you need to come back home with me.” 

“You’re out of your mind,” Regina barked. “Leave before I call the cops.” Which she was planning on doing anyway as soon as he was gone. 

H.G. and Pete each took a step — Pete toward Killian, H.G. toward Emma to protect her — but they didn’t get far before the stalker noticed. 

“Ah, ah, ah.” He took three quick steps toward Regina, pulling his knife out as he went, and pulled her against his chest, one arm curled around her throat, the other one holding the knife against the side of her neck. He took a few steps back, away from the others, dragging Regina with him until he was almost all the way to one side of the room, with nothing but windowed wall behind them. “Nobody’s going to keep me from Emma this time.” 

“Let her go,” Emma pleaded softly. “Please … why are you doing this?” 

Jones ignored her. Instead he motioned with his head for Pete to retreat back to Emma and Myka, who looked like she had been frozen on the spot. He ignored H.G. who was still standing off to the side. 

Pete put two and two together. “ _You_ were in that supply room, weren’t you?” he muttered. “With Mary Margaret. What did you do to her?” 

“Who?” Jones asked too innocently to be genuine. 

“Nurse? Small, brunette? Short hair?” Pete barked, livid by now. 

“Oh, her,” Jones drawled with a smirk. “She suddenly decided to leave — how can I put this? — for a _better_ place. She had outlived her usefulness anyway.” 

“Usefulness?” Myka asked. 

“Oh yes,” the stalker confirmed. “So helpful, that one. She was so _happy_ that I’ve come to save Emma, so _eager_ to assist me. Especially after I told her that we were going to get married and start a family soon.” His eyes met Emma’s across the room. “Well, before you decided to run off to Miami,” he snarled before reining himself in again. “But that’s all over now, love, and we can go back home, or somewhere else, and finally start our life together.” 

Myka, H.G. and Regina exchanged alarmed looks. Regina swallowed hard. “Listen, Mister …” 

“Shut up,” Jones bit out. “You don’t get to talk. You’re only going to try and keep Emma away from me. I know your type.” 

Regina struggled against his tightening hold but stopped when she heard Emma gasp. 

“Regina, stop moving, please,” Emma begged, her eyes on Regina’s throat. That was when Regina noticed the trickle of something warm, and with that awareness came the sting of the cut the knife had made along the side of her neck. 

Jones was distracted by Emma’s obvious concern, so both Pete and H.G. inched a little closer to him and Regina. 

“Killian,” Emma started anew, using his first name, willing him to focus on her to protect Regina, and maybe give Pete or Helena a chance to save her. “Why don’t you let her go so we can go somewhere and talk? Isn't that what you want?” 

Killian Jones hesitated. That _was_ what he wanted, wasn’t it? Just him and Emma, going off into the sunset together. Then he looked around the room, at the situation, and had one moment of absolute clarity. If he wanted to be with Emma, if he wanted his happy ending, the other people in this room were just going to be in the way. 

He turned to Pete and motioned with his head toward the room’s windows. “Close the blinds.” When Pete balled his hands into fists and didn’t react immediately, he continued. “Now! And don’t do anything stupid or I’m going to make certain this little cut here,” he pressed the point of the knife into the wound on Regina’s neck, making her gasp in pain, “becomes a nice, _deep_ gash.” 

**o—o—o**

James Vega winced at the sound of his screeching tires as he wrenched his car around the corner and onto the hospital parking lot. The worry in his gut felt like a bunch of hornets angrily buzzing around by now, and he fought against the memories of the only other day he had ever felt like this. He needed to see if Regina was all right, and he needed to do it now. He was not going to lose somebody else he loved. 

He stopped the car on Regina’s parking spot, glad that he had picked her and Emma up at the marina that morning. Then he ran into the trauma center as fast as his massively muscular body allowed. 

When he careened into the hallway that was home to the team’s break room, he stopped abruptly, his blood turning to ice in his veins at the sight that greeted him, all of his bad feelings confirmed in an instant. 

The team was staring at a man, who he assumed was the stalker. And Regina was held roughly against him, a weapon of some sort — what exactly he couldn’t quite see — pressed against her neck. 

Then Pete lowered the blinds, reducing the scene inside the room to vague shadows, allowing Loco to think a little more clearly again. He reached down to his right boot to pull out his trusty switchblade — the only weapon he was carrying around these days after promising the Mills family to stay away from guns — then silently crept towards the room, sure that between him, Pete the varsity wrestler, and H.G. they could get rid of this guy for good. 

Calling the cops never even crossed his mind. 

**o—o—o**

“Mr. Jones,” Myka said softly, trying to divert his attention from Pete and H.G. “You _are_ Killian Jones, aren’t you?” She took a minuscule step forward. “Emma told us so much about you.” 

Emma gave her a look, which Myka answered with the smallest possible shake of her head, but Killian relaxed just enough to not further aggravate the cut on Regina’s neck. “She has?” he asked, surprise evident in his tone. 

“Yes,” Myka confirmed quickly. “She told us _all_ about you, how much you care about her, and how … _persistent_ and _attentive_ you are.” She felt like she was going to have to throw up if she had to continue this for long, but if it helped to keep Regina safe, she’d keep talking like this for hours. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” 

Emma saw Myka struggling with the words and stepped in, knowing that her friend would run out of things to say soon, no matter how willing she was to keep Jones occupied. “Of _course_ I told them about you, Killian,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “How could I not?” 

“You’re lying,” Killian said but there was a trace of doubt in his voice. 

Emma latched right onto that. “Believe me, I’m not lying,” she insisted, trying to avoid Regina’s eyes and keeping her eyes fixed on her stalker’s. She knew full well that if she looked at Regina or the knife held tightly against her throat, her eyes would reveal her real thoughts and feelings. “You’ve been such a huge part of my life in recent months,” she added beseechingly. 

“Then why did you leave, huh?” he snarled. “Why did you have me fired? Why did you have me _arrested_?” 

_Please forgive me, Callie._ “That wasn’t me,” she lied. “The other doctors at the hospital were feeling uncomfortable, and one of them called the cops.” She slowly licked her lips in a deliberate move to fix his gaze on her face. “I _never_ would have done that to you.” 

“You wouldn’t, would you?” he scoffed. “Then why did you leave Seattle? Run to Miami? Why did you shack up with _her_?” He tightened the hold on Regina, making her gasp again. Another inch-long cut marred her skin with his movement, and a fresh trickle of blood ran down her throat. 

Emma had to bit the inside of her cheek hard not to react at the sight. “I-I have n-no idea what you’re talking about,” she stammered, affected no matter how much she pretended not to be. 

“Yeah, right.” Killian’s eyes were wide and red-rimmed, and Emma wondered if he had even slept since coming to Miami. “I saw you together,” he croaked, jerking his arms causing Regina to stumble awkwardly in an attempt to keep the knife away from her. “I’ve been watching you, and I saw how you were with her, so don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean.” Every time his arms moved, more blood appeared on Regina’s throat, from new cuts and scratches as well as widening or deepening older ones. 

Emma switched gears immediately to calm him down. “You know how it is when you want to advance quickly, Killian,” she placated him. “I was just trying to make nice with the boss.” From the corner of her eye she saw H.G. slowly inching toward Killian as stealthily as she could. “She doesn’t really mean anything to me except for a favorable treatment at work. I’m ambitious, Killian, I want to be the boss here sooner rather than later.” 

Regina knew Emma was lying through her teeth to keep her safe, but she still closed her eyes against the words and the hurt they invoked, more remembered than fresh. She knew they weren’t meant that way, but they still made her feel used and worthless, and that was never a welcome feeling. She remembered her mother’s words all too clear: _Nobody’s ever going to love you. Love is weakness, and you’re not enough to make people want to risk that for you. The only thing you can trust is power and money. Love is weakness. Don’t trust love._

The man behind her, however, lost some of the tension in his arms and shoulders, and the knife against her throat relaxed. Regina swallowed convulsively, on reflex, now that she wasn’t scared of getting cut more with every swallow or even the slightest movement. She still didn’t dare move her head too far, but she noticed that H.G. kept moving at a glacial pace. 

God, she needed this to be over, one way or another. 

**o—o—o**

James Vega was listening, ducked low beneath a window. He realized quickly that Emma’s attempts were getting more desperate, which meant that the danger for Regina was getting worse. He crouched lower and moved a little to the left to see if he could find a spot where he could see inside. He knew the stalker had his back to him, which meant that hopefully he wouldn’t be noticed. 

At least not by him. He did fervently hope that H.G. or one of the others would see him, so he could alert them to his presence. 

Finally, he found a spot where the blinds had gone down crookedly and left a few inches of window to peek through. Vega pressed his eyes against it and had to bite back a growl at the scene he could see inside. The grip on his knife tightened and his jaw clenched and unclenched several times. 

No matter what, that stalker wasn’t going to walk out of here. 

The good news was that H.G. was only a few feet away from his position, and Vega wondered how to get her attention without alerting the stalker at the same time. He pressed his fingers against the glass and moved it back and forth quickly a few times to generate unusual movement, even knowing that it probably wasn’t going to be enough. To his surprise, however, it was Myka’s eyes that wandered to his position and nodded minutely. He saw how she touched the pager clipped to her scrubs and tapped it twice with her finger before slightly moving the finger in a circle. 

Hoping he had understood her correctly, he took out his phone and quickly tapped out a message and paged Regina, Myka, H.G., and Pete. He inwardly hit himself over the head for not getting Emma’s pager number when he had the opportunity. He thought about his message which needed to be short and inconspicuous enough to be a normal trauma page. When he was done, he sent the message, never taking his eyes off Killian Jones. 

Five seconds later, he heard four pagers go off inside the room. 

**o—o—o**

It was pure chance that Myka saw movement through the small slit where the blinds hadn’t gone down all the way. She saw a hand, then Loco’s face and almost yelped in surprise and relief. She realized in a split-second that he would need to be able to communicate with them somehow, or whatever he was planning had the potential to create disaster rather than relief. She tapped her pager as discreetly as possible, then pointed at the whole team with just a small motion of her index finger. She prayed that Loco got her message, and was rewarded by a thumbs-up. Or at least she assumed that was what the thumb she could see was about. 

Then she decided to focus back on the conversation between Emma and Killian to see if she needed to help keep his focus fixed away from the window behind him. 

**o—o—o**

Helena thanked all her battle instincts that she didn’t jump a foot in the air when their pagers went off in this tense situation. Pete didn’t fare as well as she did — he let out a small yelp and flinched. 

“What the hell is that?” Killian growled. 

“We’re a … trau…ma … team … on duty,” Regina struggled to get out against the chokehold he had her in. “I’m guessing … t-that p-page … is alerting us w-we’re get…ting a new c-case.” 

Regina’s whole body had begun to ache from the uncomfortable position the stalker held her in, while her heart had been pummeled by Emma’s words and the thoughts they had brought forth to play havoc with her mind. Emma didn’t know, _couldn’t_ know, she thought, had no idea that everything she said played right into Regina’s long-fostered self-doubt. 

Emma was just saying all of those things to save them all, that’s what she had to believe. 

She tried to move her head to look at her best friend, who had to know what she was feeling right now. Out of all the people in the room, Helena knew her best, knew all the dark little secrets, and the scars they had left on Regina’s heart and soul. But Helena was focused solely on the stalker. 

The arm around her throat tightened even more when she tried to move, so she stilled immediately, but not before the point of the knife was dug a little deeper into her skin once again. She closed her eyes and tried to block it out but Jones had other ideas. 

“Why didn’t Emma get a page then?” he demanded to know, bringing Regina back to the present situation with a sharp tug of his arm. “What did it say?” 

Regina couldn’t reply, only choke through the tight hold, and she desperately clutched at his arm with both hands, trying to get some relief. Emma reached for her pager as quickly as she could, checked it, then shook it as if it wasn’t working. “Damn thing doesn’t work,” she explained. “I’ve been having problems with it on and off for days.” 

H.G. ostentatiously checked her pager — making sure Jones saw it — as did Myka and Pete. Killian removed the knife from Regina’s throat long enough to rip the pager off Regina’s scrubs and check the page with his own eyes. 

_Incoming trauma. Loco man took dive through window. ETA 3 min._

Regina closed her eyes. _You wonderful, crazy man,_ she thought. _Stay out of this._ She shared a look with H.G. now that Killian’s grip on her had loosened and she could see the same thought written on her friend’s face. They had maybe another two minutes to make sure nobody was going to get killed when Loco stormed the room. 

Killian tossed Regina’s pager against the far wall and pressed the knife to her throat again, causing another gasp. 

H.G. growled deep in her chest. Well, she bloody well wouldn’t mind if _he_ died a slow and miserable death. 

**o—o—o**

Emma’s eyes were following the pager as it flew by. She was running out of things to say, especially since the biggest part of her brain was busy being worried about Regina. “Look, Killian,” she said for what felt like 100th time, but she had read somewhere that repeating the name was supposed to help establish rapport or some crap like that. “I know you don’t trust any of us right now, but you _know_ me, and I think deep down you trust me. Isn’t that what any relationship has to be built on?” 

Killian didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t hurt Regina further. Emma took that as a good sign. 

“So why don’t you, you know,” she continued as casually as she could, “let Regina go?” She shrugged to show that it didn’t really affect her one way or the other. “She doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things anyway.” Jones remained silent but his eyes never left hers for an instant. “If you let her go, I’d be happy to take her place,” she added, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt. “And then we could get out of here, and Regina and the team can take care of their trauma case.” 

“No!” Regina croaked. “Emma, don’t!” 

“Shut up,” Killian growled. 

“Regina, please,” Emma begged. “It’s for the best. You know this thing between us didn’t really mean anything.” She took a step forward, pleasantly surprised when Killian made no move or sound to stop her. “Just accept it and let me go with my _fiancé_. You don’t need me here.” Her heart was breaking but she hoped Killian wouldn’t notice in his delusional state. 

Regina bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything. She wanted to shake her head but the knife made her pay for even the slightest movements. 

“Regina,” Helena suddenly called out, and her voice had an urgent tone that Regina recognized immediately. It must be time. She’d heard it before, and it brooked no argument. She _had_ to listen. “Remember that day in school when you got knocked over by a ball?” 

“What are you—“ Emma began, looking baffled. 

“Shut up!” Killian snarled again, and he was beginning to look really frazzled now. “All of you!” 

Helena ignored him and hurried on. “And later we said you had three choices when something like that happened? Regina, I need you to take option number three now.” 

Regina remembered that day well, and also the choices. And if Helena told her to duck, she would most definitely duck. She just had to figure out how to do it without getting seriously hurt. 

“I said shut UP!” Killian yelled, close to losing control. 

“Regina, NOW!” 

Regina took as deep a breath as she could in her position, preparing herself for the moment when this could go very wrong. She thought she was hearing pounding footsteps in the hallway outside but she couldn’t focus on that. _Well, then …_ One last shared look with Emma, one final projected thought that sounded a lot like _I love you_ in her head, and then Regina let her whole body go limp just as all hell was breaking loose. 

Jones tightened his hold on Regina in pure reaction to her sudden limpness, using both arms to try and keep her upright. At the same time, James Vega came barreling down the hallway and — using a trauma tray to shield his face as best he could — crashed through the window at full sprint, tearing down the blinds and hitting Jones’ legs when he landed in a roll. The tray flew out of Vega’s hands as he tightened the grip on his knife, ready to strike. The destroyed blinds got tangled between him and Jones, who tried desperately to stay upright while Regina pulled at him front the front. He didn’t stand much of a chance. 

Jones’ reaction was barely controlled panic. He kicked out with one leg and blindly stabbed at Regina with his knife while trying to keep an eye on everyone else in the room. Vega saw the kick and made a grab for the leg, not so unintentionally ramming his switchblade into the stalker’s thigh. 

H.G. waited until Vega was safely on the ground before moving swiftly towards Jones, as did Pete while Myka held back Emma who looked spellbound by the action. With one last look at her struggling friend, Helena lunged for Jones, making a grab for his knife arm. Her grip went straight for the pressure points that made him let go of the knife — but not before he got in one blind, vicious stab — before pulling his arm behind his body at a painful angle just as Vega’s knife entered Jones’ leg and brought him to the ground, dark red blood immediately staining the gray nurse’s scrubs he was wearing. 

Jones was screaming in pain as H.G. pulled his arm out of its socket with her grip, then grabbed him in a chokehold. For one terrifying second she was close to simply snapping his neck but at the last moment her eyes met Myka’s, and she took a deep breath instead. She was just about to knock him out when Pete beat her to the punch, quite literally, his large fist connecting with Jones’ face with a sickening crunch. 

And then everything was quiet, apart from everyone’s harsh breathing and Jones’ pained whimpers. The silence, however, lasted only a second before it was interrupted by a scream that had everyone look for the source. 

It was Emma, and she was staring at Regina’s body on the ground, Jones’ knife sticking out of the side of her neck, blood running down towards the ground in a thankfully thin stream instead of an arterial pulse. 

Emma tore herself from Myka’s gentle hold and rushed to Regina’s side, dropping to her knees next to her prone body. “No, no, no,” she muttered, “don’t do this!” 

H.G. pushed the almost unconscious Jones into Vega’s arms and turned towards Regina, calling out orders at the same time. “Myka, Pete, get a gurney, fast,” she shouted urgently. “Emma, keep Regina’s head immobile.” She leaned over Regina’s face. “You’re going to be okay, Regina, it’s not that deep. It’s going to be fine, I promise.” 

Emma’s eyes met H.G.’s, recognizing reassuring doctor speak when she heard it. Regina rolled her eyes and tried to speak but all that came out of her mouth was a thin groan. She took a slightly shuddering breath, then closed her eyes. 

“Stay with me, Regina,” Emma begged, both hands keeping Regina’s head still while H.G. kept a hold on the knife to make sure it didn’t move even a fraction of an inch. “You have to stay with me,” Emma babbled on, not even clear on what she was saying. “I swear to God, if you die, I’ll kill you.” She sniffed and wiped her nose on her own shoulder as best she could. “You don’t get to die, you hear me? Think about Henry, please … he needs you.” 

“Keep talking,” Helena whispered when she noticed that Regina calmed down at the sound of Emma’s voice, and the blood flowed a little slower. It was a good sign, and so was the fact that the knife was keeping the wound somewhat closed, but Regina still needed to be in surgery as soon as possible. 

Pete raced through the door with a gurney. “Myka’s waiting for us in Trauma 1,” he rushed out. “Let’s get her up here. Loco, some help? Leave the knife in that bastard …” 

“She dead?” Jones rasped nasally. “Serves her right.” 

There was another crunching sound and a groan of pain that stopped abruptly, then Vega was there with them. He and Pete lifted Regina’s body onto the gurney while Emma steadied her head, and H.G. fixed the knife in position with gauze and surgical tape Myka handed her. “Okay,” she said, taking command once more. “Let’s get this done.” 

They ran toward the trauma unit where Myka already awaited them with two visibly shocked nurses, while Vega ran back to an unconscious Jones. As soon as Regina had been transferred to the trauma table, Emma turned to grab some gloves and a mask, but Myka stopped her with a touch on her arm. “You can’t, Emma,” she said gently. “You’re in no condition to—“ 

“No!” Emma growled. “I need to … She’s …” 

“I know,” Myka replied, still gentle, but firm now. “Trust us to take care of her.” 

“Then H.G. shouldn’t be here either,” Emma pointed out, still fighting. “Regina’s her best friend.” 

“And I’m pulling rank on you, Swan,” H.G. informed her from behind her mask. “Please don’t make me throw you out. You can wait right outside or in the waiting area. Please, Emma, I promise I’ll get her through this.” 

“I can’t just sit here … I need to do _something_.” 

“Call the police,” Pete told her. “That scumbag needs to be picked up before Loco decides to turn him into Swiss cheese, and before I decide to forget my manners and help him with that. Oh, and have security check the supply room over by the courtyard exit … that was the last place I saw Mary Margaret.” He paused. “And then … if you’re up to it … you should probably call Regina’s dad.” 

_Oh shit._ Emma swallowed hard as she nodded and left the trauma suite. How was she supposed to explain this to Mr. Mills? To _Rosa_? Or worse, to Henry? 

**o—o—o**

_“Penetrating neck trauma, zone II. Patient is unconscious and …”_

Emma tuned out Helena’s words as she left the trauma suite, the world around her a blur, her head filled with white noise, her legs carrying her through the hallways on autopilot, guilt eating away at her. If she hadn’t fallen for Regina, Killian wouldn’t have hurt her. If she’d only been more careful, if only— 

“Hey,” a familiar voice said. “How is Regina? How bad is it?” 

Apparently, Emma’s subconscious had decided to take her back to the break room, where Vega was sitting on Killian Jones who was still unconscious. Emma wondered if she should get him medical help but when she thought about Regina, she really couldn’t be bothered. One look told her that nothing vital was affected but that he would be in considerable pain if he were awake. _Good._

“I don’t know …” she replied slowly. “Helena won’t let me … She said I had to leave …” Her eyes fell on the small puddle of blood on the floor, and her control broke like a dam. She started crying, sobbing loudly, as the stress of the past few days and the events from the day caught up with her. “I’m sorry, so sorry,” she repeated over and over again. 

She didn’t fight when Loco was suddenly right there in front of her, pulling her into a hug, engulfing her in his monstrous arms, and running his hands soothingly up and down her back. “Not your fault, Swan,” he whispered. “None of this is your fault.” 

He repeated the words until Emma calmed down and her tears stopped coming, at least for the moment. “How did you know?” she rasped, looking up at him. 

“That you were blaming yourself?” he made sure. “Been there, done that. Lost my best friend in the process. I blamed myself for a long time but I learned that it wasn’t my fault.” 

“How?” 

Vega smiled. “Regina, Rosa,” he replied. “Mr. Mills. They all helped me, and they will help you too, if you let them.” 

“Not when Regina was hurt because I brought _him_ to Miami,” Emma shook her head. “He wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me.” 

“It takes time,” Loco repeated, and left it at that. 

“I should call Rosa,” Emma blurted suddenly as Pete’s words came back to her. “And I’m supposed to call the cops and have security check one of the supply rooms …” 

Vega could see that Emma was in no shape to be doing any of these things but he could at least help with one of them. “Okay, how about you take care of the hospital stuff first, and then call the cops,” he suggested. “And I’m going to call Regina's father.” 

Emma was torn between guilt and gratefulness, which won out in the end. “Would you? I wouldn’t know what to say …” 

“I will,” he promised. “Now go and do what the cookie monster said.” 

**o—o—o**

Henry Sr. arrived almost at the same time as the police did as he had been in the vicinity on business, and the first thing he did was find Emma and wrap her in his arms in a fierce hug. She stiffened in surprise when he started comforting her with a soft touch on her back and whispered words in Spanish, and while she didn't understand a word the sentiment was clear: he didn't blame her. 

It was all so unexpected and confusing and just such a relief for Emma that it took her a minute but then she relaxed in his arms and burst into tears — _again_ — much to her dismay. 

The two detectives from Miami PD interrupted them after a few minutes to talk to Emma who was in no condition to talk to anyone that wasn’t the team or her lover’s father — and even that was questionable. Fortunately, the lead detective was a kind, older man who seemed to know Henry Sr. quite well, and he agreed to let Emma come to them when she was ready since they had enough to put away Killian Jones for a long time even without her testimony, given that Mary Margaret Blanchard’s body had been found by hospital security. Also, Loco had _persuaded_ Killian to talk about his obsession with Emma and the lengths he had gone to. It was probably an oversight that he forgot to mention that he was recording the conversation with his phone. 

Cries of pain and all. 

**o—o—o**

Emma was sitting in the waiting room closest to the trauma suites, wedged between Regina's dad and Rosa, who had Henry Jr. curled into her side. Rosa had hugged her just as fiercely as Henry Sr. had done, and the boy had given her a watery smile that had made Emma wonder how much he knew about her relationship with her mother. Loco was sitting across from them, talking to his sister's school on the phone. 

They all jumped up when the door opened and Myka came in. Rosa pulled her into a hug like she seemed to do with everyone, and both Henrys followed suit. Loco stayed by Emma's side, one arm wrapped around her shoulder. 

"She's going to be absolutely fine," were Myka's first words. 

"Oh, thank God," Emma breathed, relief flooding her whole body, making her weak in the knees. “What—?" 

Myka held up her hand, stopping the barrage of questions she assumed was coming from Emma. With a pointed look at Regina's son, she repeated, "She's going to be fine. She's in surgery now but everything's going to be okay." 

"Surgery?" Henry asked. "But I thought you and Aunt Helena took care of Mom?" 

Myka cupped Henry's cheek. "We did, kid," she insisted. "But we wanted to make sure that everything is done _really_ perfectly, so your mom can come home as soon as possible. We have doctors here who will make sure of that." 

Henry seemed to accept her words but Emma gave Myka a look that said she wanted more information. 

"I'm going to talk to Emma outside for a moment, okay?" Myka said to the rest of the room, before motioning for Emma to follow her. 

Once outside, Emma stopped Myka. "What's going on, Myka? How bad is it really?" 

“Not bad at all, Emma. Regina was incredibly lucky," Myka explained in a low voice so as not to be overheard in the hallway. "The knife nicked her carotid, causing a pseudoaneurysm but that was the only _serious_ injury. Doctor DeMille is putting in a stent as we speak, and the surrounding tissue will heal nicely.” 

"DeMille?" 

"Best otolaryngological surgeon in the state," Myka replied. "She should be able to go home by the end of the week at the latest." 

Emma threw herself into Myka's arms in sheer relief. "Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." Myka gave Emma a tired smile. "We love her too, you know." 

"I-I'm ... I don't ..." 

Myka gave her a strange look. ”Emma …” 

"It's ... w-we haven't even known each other that long ..." 

“Emma.” 

“People don’t … I don’t … not this quickly ..." 

"Emma!!" 

“What?!" 

"If you ask _me_ , you fell in love with her the day you met her, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Myka grinned. “These things happen.” She shrugged. “In the admittedly short time I’ve known you, you’ve never hidden your feelings for Regina, so why are you denying them now?" 

Emma stared at Myka as she let out the breath she had been holding. "You're right," she whispered. "I do ... I am ... I mean ... yes, I love her ... but ..." 

"But what?" 

"She's going to _hate_ me now," Emma said with a wince. "The _one_ thing she didn't want was complications, and now look at what I brought upon her. She almost _died_ because of me!" 

Myka dragged Emma into the closest empty room, which happened to be a broom closet. "You listen to me now, Emma," she said urgently. "She's going to be absolutely fine, and that _psychopath_ ," she growled the word, "is never going to bother you again." 

"I should never have come here," Emma insisted. "You'd all be better off if I hadn't come here." Her eyes were unfocused and red from crying, and Myka recognized the look of panic. "I should just go." 

Myka grabbed her arm before she could leave the room. "Emma, remember what I told you in the very beginning?" 

All she received was an empty stare. 

"I asked you not to toy with Regina," Myka continued. "I _specifically_ asked you not to hurt her." 

"And now I did." 

"No, you didn't, not yet," Myka replied. "But you running away now? _That_ would hurt her. It would hurt her, you, all of us because we'd all feel the fall-out. If you run away, I promise you I'll send Rosa and Helena after you to drag your ass back here, and it won’t be pretty. You _love_ her, and she loves you, and none of this is your fault." 

Myka emphasized every single word of that last sentence but Emma only heard one thing. "You think she loves me?" 

Myka gaped at her. "Are you serious?" She shook her head. "Okay, so maybe she doesn't even know it yet but the Regina Mills I know would never have even looked at you a second time in anything but a professional manner if she didn't have strong feelings for you. Please tell me you realized that!" 

Emma did know that, deep down. "I'm sorry, you're right." 

"You bet I am." Myka let go of Emma's arm. "No running?" 

"No running," Emma promised. "At least not away from her." 

"Good," Myka nodded. "I wouldn't have wanted to have to hurt you. Now let's see how she's doing, okay?" 

**o—o—o**

When Emma got back to the waiting room after checking in on Regina’s surgery — which was going well judging by Helena’s thumbs-up when she spotted Emma and Myka through the observation window — Rosa was already waiting for her outside the room. 

“Rosa,” Emma greeted her nervously. Despite Myka’s pep talk, she still felt incredibly bad about what had happened. 

“Oh, _mija_ ,” Rosa said softly. “How are you holding up? It must be so hard for you. Loco told me about that horrible man and everything he’s done today.” She pulled Emma into her arms and squeezed her tightly. “I’m so sorry.” 

“I’m the one who’s sorry,” Emma rasped. “I’m so sorry Regina got hurt. It’s the last thing I wanted.” 

“I know, _mija_ , I know,” Rosa soothed. “We all do. That man _es un psicópata_ , a horrible excuse for a human being, and I’m glad nothing happened to you.” 

Emma stared at Rosa for a long moment. “You astound me,” she finally breathed. “You shouldn’t worry about me.” 

It was Rosa’s turn to scrutinize Emma. “Let me ask you something, _mija_. Do you love Regina?” 

This time Emma didn’t think about it, and went with her heart. “Yes, I do.” 

“And that is why I worry about you,” Rosa replied simply, a sad smile on her gentle face. “There is still much you don’t know about Regina, many things … She tried to bury everything so deep, maybe too deep but you should hear about it from her. Let me tell you this one thing: we were worried about Regina for years, since before Henry was born, because she closed herself off from other people after … well …” Rosa sighed deeply. “The only people she let in are her family, and that includes Helena and Myka, and even Loco and his sister. But it’s not healthy to close yourself off so much … And then you came into her life, and suddenly my Regina began to live again, not just work and go through the motions when she wasn’t working. She is _alive_ again, and that’s why we all worry about you just as much as we worry about her.” 

Emma wondered how long it would take to cry herself dry, but at least these were good tears. 

**o—o—o**

Regina woke up to a tight feeling around her neck and her mind, though still a fuzzy from the drugs, immediately took her back to being in the stalker’s chokehold. Her hands flew up to try and remove the perceived threat but her movements were sluggish and then hands were on her to try and calm her down. Familiar hands. 

“Emma?” Regina croaked hoarsely, her eyes not yet obeying her command to open. “What—“ 

“Shh,” Emma said soothingly. “It’s all right, Regina. We’re all okay, and you’re going to be fine.” She saw Regina struggling to say something and reached up to cup her cheek. “Please try not to talk just yet,” she whispered. “You got hurt in the struggle.” 

At that, Regina finally managed to open her eyes. She blinked a few times to get everything into focus and saw that she was in a hospital room, and judging from the light coming in through the blinds, it was early evening. _Where had the day gone?_ “What?” she asked, pointing at her neck. 

There was a sound from the other side of the room and a second later Helena and Myka appeared next to the bed, still holding hands from where they had been sitting and waiting for Regina to wake up. Rosa stepped closer to the bed as well, resting one of her hands on Emma’s shoulder in a gesture that made Regina smile. “Hello, _mi corazón_ ,” she whispered with a watery smile. “ _Es tan bueno ver tus hermosos ojos._ ” 

Regina’s smile widened at the words but then she looked around, eyes a little unfocused, a frown creasing her forehead. “Henry?” 

At the raspy sound of Regina’s voice, Emma reached over to grab the cup of cold water on the bedside table and held it for her, so she could take a few sips. Regina drank carefully, waiting for her body’s reaction, which was nothing more than a mild soreness when she swallowed. She wondered if it was the pain medication. 

“He was here at the hospital most of the day,” Rosa explained as Regina wet her throat. “But your father took him home so he could go to bed on time. He fought it like a wildcat but I promised him he could come back tomorrow instead of going to school, and that was good enough for him.” She took one of Regina’s hands and squeezed. “I thought you might want some time to fully wake up after surgery before you see him. They both give you their love.” 

Regina held onto Rosa’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispered, but her voice sounded less raspy now. “You should … go home, make sure—“ 

“They behave,” Rosa finished for her. “Yes, yes, I’ll get out of your hair. Can’t trust the boys alone …” Emma leaned out of the way, so Rosa could press a kiss to Regina’s temple. “Sleep well, _mija_ , I’ll see you in the morning.” 

When the team was alone in the room, Regina turned her eyes to her best friend. “Okay, details.” 

Helena grinned at the concise order. “Jones managed to stab you in the side of the neck when we tried to subdue him,” she started to explain. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop him in time.” 

“Not … your fault,” Regina replied softly. “Apparently, I’m still alive.” 

Myka sniffled. “You definitely are but …” 

“We were so worried,” Emma added. “I … you …” 

Helena saw Emma faltering, saw the worried look Regina was giving her at that, and decided to jump back in. “Anyway, he nicked your CCA causing a pseudoaneurysm but your larynx and oesophagus were not injured.” 

“Did you do a resection?” 

H.G. shook her head. “Myka and I stabilized you, then send you up to DeMille. He put in a stent, then closed the wound. I assisted and it all went beautifully. You should be able to go home in a couple of days.” 

“Complications?” 

Helena knew what Regina was asking about since they had both seen their share of problems with penetrating neck injuries. “No clotting, no thrombi, angiogram was clear. You need to have it monitored over the next few days but like I said, it all went great.” 

“Lucky me,” Regina grunted with a small smile. “Was anybody else hurt?” 

Emma swallowed. “We’re all fine,” she said quickly. “But Jones … he—he really killed Mary Margaret Blanchard.” 

“Oh.” Regina blinked. There had been no love lost between the two of them but that didn’t mean she wanted the other woman dead. “Where is Jones?” she asked all of them before facing H.G. “Did you …?” She didn’t dare finish that question. 

“Almost,” H.G. admitted quietly with a quick shake of her head. “I think I dislocated his shoulder, probably tore his rotator cuff …” 

“Loco stabbed him in the leg after he came through that window like a wrecking ball,” Myka added with a gleam in her eyes, “and Pete broke his nose. But other than that …” 

Emma cleared her throat. “Not quite,” she amended. “Loco roughed him up a little more to make him talk, then he taped his confession with his phone. The cops were having a field day with that. It may not be admissible in court but at least they know what to ask about.” She smiled. “Your father mentioned that Jones also managed to hit his head a few times on the way to St. Mary’s.” 

“How—?” 

“The lead detective is Roberto Mancini,” Helena explained. 

“Oh,” Regina breathed. “That doesn’t bode well for Jones.” 

“Yeah, he’s been very accommodating,” Emma added. “He said he was a friend of your dad’s?” 

“They’ve been playing poker for years,” H.G. replied in Regina’s stead. “With the current mayor and DA.” 

“Jones is not going anywhere ever again.” 

“Good,” both Emma and Regina breathed, and their eyes met in response. Emma fought the urge to look away but it was hard. “Regina, I …” She stopped, unsure, and simply squeezed Regina’s hand. 

Myka and Helena shared a look. “I think this is our cue to leave,” Myka said. “There’s a lot of paperwork.” 

“And I need to get started on my presentation,” Helena added grimly. 

“Presentation?” Regina asked. 

“Congratulations,” H.G. fake-cheered. “You don’t have to go to New York on the weekend for the trauma conference. Gold is making me go instead.” 

Regina laughed, then winced as that pulled on her stitches. “Take Myka, use the apartment, hell, use my presentation, I’ve put in on dropbox,” she ordered. “Enjoy the city.” 

H.G. saluted with a grin. “Yes, boss.” Then she pulled Myka out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Emma and Regina alone. 

“You have an apartment in New York?” Emma blurted even though that was nowhere close to what she actually wanted to say. 

Regina shrugged. “It’s my father’s, although he never uses it.” She reached for the water on her bedside table again and Emma moved quickly to hand it to her. Regina drank a few sips, once again testing the way the water ran down her throat, then drinking longer sips when there were no issues. “He bought it for his frequent business trips,” she continued when she had drunk her fill, “and then realized he preferred being pampered in a hotel.” 

“You shouldn’t talk so much,” Emma murmured. 

“I’m fine,” Regina replied. She watched Emma for a moment, now that they were alone, and saw the tense set of her shoulders and the way Emma’s eyes never stayed in one place too long. She remembered the things Emma had said to Jones, and wondered if she was looking for a way out. Not because she actually preferred Jones — Regina didn’t believe that for a second — but maybe because reality had crashed in on the bubble they had kept up despite the threat of him looming over them, and had complicated things once again. “Talk to me,” she finally murmured. “What’s going on?” 

“What’s going on?” Emma gaped at Regina. “How can you … You almost _died_ , that’s what’s going on!” Her hand clenched around Regina’s to an almost painful degree. “You almost died … because of him … because of me … and I couldn’t have … I don’t know what I would—“ 

“Emma,” Regina interrupted gently. “I’m fine. I got hurt, yes, but it’s not that bad, and mostly because I didn’t duck fast enough when Helena told me to.” 

“You were lying there,” Emma babbled on. “You were lying there and you were bleeding, and that fucking knife was sticking out of your neck, and then you lost consciousness, and I was so damn _scared_.” It all came out in a rush and Emma knew if she didn’t stop soon, she would just keep on talking and revealing things she wasn’t sure Regina was ready to hear. 

“Emma … _querida_ …” Regina drawled, clamping her mouth shut almost immediately after. Her filter was more like a sieve with the pain meds she was on, so she’d have to be careful. 

“No, no,” Emma just kept on talking, not even realizing what Regina had said. “I just … I couldn’t have taken it if something had happened to you. If you had died after all those things I had to say to you to keep him from hurting you.” She looked up and met Regina’s eyes. “You know I didn’t mean one syllable of all that crap, right? Please tell me you know that!” 

“I know that,” Regina replied softly. “The words still hurt …” Damn, that wasn’t what she had wanted to say at all. “I know what you were doing was to protect all of us …” 

“But I still hurt you,” Emma added morosely. “The last thing I ever wanted. I’m so sorry, Regina.” She took a shuddering breath. “All I could think about was protecting you … I wanted him to let you go … and he kept cutting you.” 

“Emma, you did what you could in a bad situation,” Regina tried once more. “And it’s all good.” 

“Doesn’t feel like it.” 

“You know what I realized with total clarity today?” Regina suddenly asked. 

Emma swallowed hard, expecting the worst. “That being with me is too complicated?” she asked in a small voice. 

“What?” Regina’s mouth dropped open. “No! _Dios,_ you can be an idiot sometimes.” 

“Then what?” 

“Really not sure I should tell you now,” Regina replied with a grin. She was beginning to feel really loopy now, a combination of the drugs and being tired. “You don’t deserve it.” 

“Regina,” Emma whined, insanely curious now. She looked at Regina who was trying to look aloof but not even managing a close approximation. All she did was look adorable, even with all the bandages around her throat. Emma’s heart soared with all the love she felt. “Regina,” she tried again, softer this time. 

Regina’s eyes opened and met hers, and what Emma thought she saw in them almost took her breath away. “Yes, Emma?” 

“I love you,” Emma breathed, emboldened by the look. 

Regina let out a long, slow breath. “I love you too,” she husked. “That was what I realized today when I was—“ 

“When you looked at me before you ducked?” Emma asked, suddenly remembering that moment of eye contact. 

Regina nodded. “Well,” she demanded. Drawled, really. 

“Well … what?” 

“Are you going to kiss me or not?” Regina was beginning to sound very tired by now, her words slurring together into one string of syllables. 

Emma carefully leaned in and gently kissed Regina who tried in vain to deepen the kiss, rather sloppily at that, and let out a sound of disappointment when Emma didn’t let her. “Careful there,” Emma warned. “You’re still recovering.” 

When there was no response, Emma withdrew to meet Regina’s eyes, only to see that her lover had fallen asleep. Emma chuckled and pressed another kiss to those beautiful lips. “I love you,” she repeated once more, just because she could. “Sweet dreams.” 

Then she settled into the chair by Regina’s bed and watched over her lover. Killian Jones was in jail, Regina was going to be all right, and they had each other. 

Everything else could wait until another day. 

**o—o—o**

Outside Regina’s room, Helena sagged against the wall. “I am so bloody happy she’s all right,” she breathed. “I couldn’t have—“ She broke off, as a single tear ran down her cheek. 

Myka caught the tear on the tip of her finger, then pulled her wife into a hug. “Come on,” she said, pulling Helena along and into one of the elevators. They went up to the roof, both agreeing without words that none of them would leave the hospital that night. 

On the roof, they grabbed two of the fold-out chairs and sat down as close to the edge of the roof as they could. Here, high above everyone else, and with her wife holding her, H.G. cried, letting out her fear for her best friend, and her guilt for not being able to get her out completely unscathed. 

“She’s fine, darling,” Myka breathed. “You made sure of that.” 

“I should have killed that bastard,” H.G. rasped. “Should have snapped his scruffy neck.” 

Myka swallowed but held H.G. tighter. “It’s not who you are, darling.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Myka,” her wife replied darkly. “That’s exactly who I am when the people I love get hurt.” She paused, calming herself down, unconsciously rubbing the scar in her shoulder. “I think that’s part of the reason why I never wanted any other children. I have no idea what I would do if anything happened to them. Or to you.” 

Myka let the thought escape into the night, allowing Helena a moment of silence which she used to get her own thoughts in order. Myka had also been scared for Regina, but she also had been scared for H.G., not to mention Emma. Now she had to pull herself together, and possibly everyone else as well. “You can’t live your life on what ifs, Helena,” she finally said, quietly but firmly. “Things can happen but we can’t put our life on hold because of something that _might_ happen at some distant point in the future, or most likely won’t ever happen.” 

H.G. looked at her wife. “What are you saying, darling?” Her voice was shaky, afraid. 

“I’m saying I love you,” Myka reassured her. “I’m saying I want to live a full life with you, especially now. I want a family, Helena, and I want that with you. I’m saying we can beat anything that life throws at us, as long as we’re together.” 

Helena mustered her wife for long, long moments in the pale light of the moon and the hospital’s helipad lighting. “Do you really think so?” 

Myka cupped H.G.’s face and pressed their foreheads together. “I know so,” she whispered fiercely. “I love you, and together we can do anything.” 

“Together.” 

“Anything.” 

“Even make sure that our two idiot friends are not running scared because of what happened today?” Helena asked with a grin, signaling that her limit of emotional talk had been reached for the night. 

Myka kissed H.G. sweetly, then chuckled. “Emma admitted she’s in love with Regina, to me _and_ to Rosa … I think they’ll figure it out.” 

“Let’s hope so.” Helena grinned against Myka’s lips before going back to kissing, marveling at how her wife always managed to make her feel better. 

**o—o—o**

**10 days later**

Rosa smiled as she looked around the dining table. The whole family together for Friday night dinner, including the more recent addition, Emma. Her eyes wandered to the woman who was sitting between Regina and Myka, but was currently talking to Helena who was sitting on Myka’s other side. Even as Emma was leaning forward to talk across Myka, one hand remained in contact with Regina, and if Rosa had to bet she’d say that Regina and Emma were holding hands under the table. 

Regina was talking to Henry who was telling his mother all about the photos of an alligator he’d taken the week before as if Regina hadn’t heard the story already. Still, Regina listened attentively, nodding every once in a while, although Rosa assumed the secret little smiles were more for something Emma did under the table than for her son. 

Regina’s injury had healed nicely, and all that remained was a scar at the side of her neck, which was still covered by a small patch of gauze and a colorful Iron Man band-aid Henry had applied there for extra healing. 

“Are you going to stay here for the weekend, Mom?” Henry asked in that moment. 

Rosa saw that Emma stopped talking and listened to Regina’s reply. Regina smiled at her son. “We thought we’d spend the weekend at the cabin,” she replied. “Would you like that?” 

“You mean I get to come?” 

“Yes, of course, _mijo_.” Regina seemed surprised by the question. “If you’d rather stay here, then of course we’d stay here but you haven’t been down in a while, and I thought—“ 

“Exactly,” Henry interrupted. “Last time you went I didn’t get to come along …” 

“Henry, the last time I went to the cabin you were at photography camp,” Regina reminded him softly. 

“Oh, yeah.” Henry grinned. “Then where were you last weekend when you weren’t here?” 

“Well, we actually were here most of the time, _mijo_. It was you who was running around in the swamps with your _abuelo_ and Rico.” Regina tweaked his nose. “Having adventures with alligators.” 

“But you were gone a lot too.” 

“Yes, we were.” Regina shared a smile with Emma who was now watching her conversation with Henry openly. “We were looking at apartments for Emma.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I want to move to a new one,” Emma jumped in. 

“But I thought …” 

“What did you think, _mijo_?” 

“I thought Emma was living with you … us,” Henry muttered. “She’s been here with us or in your apartment for the past couple of weeks.” 

“That was because I can’t go back to my old apartment and finding a new one isn’t easy.” 

And Emma really couldn’t face going back there, not after the cops had told her what Killian had confessed about his break-in, about what he’d done. Although he hadn’t so much confessed as stated the fact as if it had been well within his rights to violate Emma’s personal space like that, and the thought made Emma’s stomach turn. The super had been very understanding and had agreed to her breaking the lease, but she had to find something new by the end of the month, which was easier said than done in Miami. 

“How’s the apartment hunt going, Emma?” Henry Sr. asked across the table. 

“Slowly,” Emma admitted. “It’s pretty difficult to find something affordable and nice, and not too far from the hospital.” 

“Let me know if I can help.” 

“Yes, Sir.” 

“Emma.” 

“Yes, _Henry_ ,” Emma amended. 

Rosa blocked out the conversation around her table again as she watched Henry watch his mother and Emma. Her mind went back to the rather painful talk they’d all had the week before when Regina had told Henry about her and Emma dating. 

Henry had not been happy. Not because he didn’t like Emma — they got along just fine — but mostly because he didn’t want to share what little time he had with his mother with somebody else. He had run off in a huff, and Emma had offered to leave, go to Myka’s and Helena’s for the night, but Regina had denied that in a heartbeat. She loved her son, but she wasn’t going to let him dictate who she was dating. 

The solution, of course, had been to include Henry in everything they did from that point on, which had helped immensely. Henry was warming up to Emma, even if there were still moments of insecurity and jealousy, but all in all he had learned that Emma was not trying to take his mother away from him. 

Rosa’s eyes went to Emma’s and Regina’s obviously still connected hands in Regina’s lap and shook her head. The downside to that positive development had been that the two women had hardly managed to spend quality time alone, and Rosa assumed it was slowly driving them a little nuts, judging from the position she had surprised them in in the hallway outside Regina’s room shortly before dinner. It had been a long time since she had seen Regina _that_ flustered … 

Rosa smiled to herself. She should probably help the girls out somehow and take Henry off their hands, if only for a little while. She turned back to the conversation that had moved to the same topic that had been rehashed countless times over the past couple of weeks, although hardly ever with Henry in the room. 

“So I heard you went to the arraignment?” Loco asked Henry Sr. 

“I did,” came the grave reply. “I wanted to look him in the eye.” 

“And?” 

“I don’t think he’s going to go anywhere any time soon,” Regina’s dad replied with some satisfaction. “His bail was set at half a million dollars.” 

Emma grinned. “There’s no way he can come up with that kind of money in this lifetime.” 

“Exactly,” Henry agreed. “The DA has assured me that everything is going very well, and we won’t need to worry about him again.” 

“Thank you for everything,” Emma repeated for the umpteenth time since the incident. “I mean it.” 

“You’re very welcome, Emma.” 

The lull in the conversation was interrupted when Myka cleared her throat after sharing a look with Helena. “We have an announcement to make,” H.G. said quietly, sounding a little nervous. 

“Yeah,” Myka breathed happily, joining their hands on the table. “We’ve … We’ve decided to start a family. We’ve started the process for adoption.” 

“That is wonderful news,” Rosa gasped. “So wonderful!” She ran around the table and pulled the couple into her arms. “Good luck!” 

Everyone piled up on Helena and Myka, allowing Regina and Emma to slip away for a moment since they had been the only ones already in the know. Regina dragged Emma into the small, secluded garden behind the kitchen and pulled her into her arms. “If I don’t get to kiss you soon, I’m going to explode,” she groaned. “Your hand on my thigh all through dinner sure didn’t he—“ 

She was stopped by Emma’s lips who caught hers in a gentle and loving kiss. “It wasn’t meant to help,” Emma breathed once they’d parted. “I like it when you want me.” 

Regina groaned. “I do want you,” she declared. “It’s embarrassing really.” 

“Not embarrassing,” Emma corrected. “Exhilarating.” She leaned in for another kiss, her hands wrapped in Regina’s hair. “And for the record, I want you too.” 

“You can have me,” Regina replied simply. 

“And I’m very happy about that.” Emma leaned in again, intent on kissing Regina senseless but she had barely touched her lips before there were running steps behind her and then a drawn-out “ _ewwwww_ ”. 

Emma bit back a curse as she withdrew and slowly turned around, so they both faced the intruder. “Henry,” she greeted him casually, trying to get her libido under control. 

“Don’t you get bored of kissing all the time?” Henry asked curiously. 

Emma and Regina shared a look and burst out laughing. “Not really, no,” Regina told him. At his doubtful look, she leaned down and ran her hand through his hair, marveling at the fact that it wouldn’t take long until he was as tall as she was. “You’ll know what we mean when you’re a little older.” 

“I doubt it,” he replied indignantly. “Anyway, Rosa says we’re having dessert, so you need to come back in. I’m not missing key lime pie because you want to be out here doing _that_.” 

With that, he turned and ran back inside. Emma let out a sigh which was caught by Regina’s lips. “Dessert it is, I guess,” she mumbled. 

“Rosa’s key lime pie is heavenly, darling,” Regina replied. “You’ll love it.” 

“Probably,” Emma conceded, her sweet tooth no secret to anyone. “But I’d love kissing you more.” 

Regina chuckled and started to walk back inside. “Sap.” 

“You like it.” 

“Perhaps I do.” 

“I know you do.” 

“Ha.” 

“Hey, Regina.” 

“Hmm.” 

“I love you.” 

“I know.” 

“…” 

“I love you too. Now let’s go have some pie.” 

**The End of Season 1**


End file.
